Dora Akunyili

Dora Nkem Akunyili
Federal Minister of Information & Communication
In office
17 December 2008 – 15 December 2010
Preceded by John Ogar Odey
Succeeded by Labaran Maku
Personal details
Born 14 July 1954
Makurdi, Benué State
Died 7 June 2014(2014-06-07) (aged 59)
India
Political party People's Democratic Party (PDP); All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)

Dora Nkem Akunyili was the Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of Nigeria.

Biography

She was born in Markurdi, Benue State on July 14, 1954 to Chief and Mrs. Paul Young Edemobi.

She became the Nigerian Minister of Information and Communications from 2008 to 2010. She was a pharmacist and governmental administrator who gained international recognition. She won several awards for her work in pharmacology, public health and human rights.

Akunyili ran for election as Senator for Anambra Central for the APGA in April 2011 but was defeated by Chris Ngige of the ACN. She immediately sent a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission disputing the result.[1] She died in an Indian hospital on 7 June 2014 after a battle with cancer. She had six children and three grandchildren.

Her funeral, which took place on 27 and 28 August, was attended by many dignities from within Nigeria and beyond, including President Goodluck Jonathan (2010 to 2015), the then Nigerian President and a former Nigerian military ruler General Yakubu Gowon.

Akunyili was laid to rest at Agulu in Anambra state.[2]

Awards

Some of the awards Prof. Akunyili received in her lifetime were:

  • Time Magazine Award 2006 ("One of the eighteen heroes of our time"), Time Magazine Inc.
  • Person of the Year 2005 Award – Silverbird Communications Ltd, Lagos, 5 January 2006
  • Award of Excellence – Integrated World Services (IWS), December 2005
  • Award of Excellence – Advocacy for Democracy Dividends International, Lagos, 17 December 2005
  • Meritorious Award 2005 – St. Michael's Military Catholic Church, Apapa, Lagos, 4 December 2005
  • African Virtuous and Entrepreneurial Women Merit Award 2005 – African Biographical Network, December, 2005
  • Award for the Best Government Parastatal – National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), December, 2005
  • An Icon of Excellence Award – The African Cultural Institute and Zenith Bank Plc,[3] 8 December 2005
  • 2005 Grassroots Human Rights Campaigner Award London-based Human Rights Defense Organization, 8 December 2005
  • Most Innovative Director Award Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos, October, 2005.[4]
  • Integrity Award 2003 – Transparency International.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Onu, Nwanosike (28 April 2011). "How Ngige floored Akunyili in Anambra Central". The Nation. Archived from the original on 2 May 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  2. ↑ "Prof Akunyili's final journey home: Day Agulu people, other Nigerians were united in grief". The Sun. 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "zenithbank.com". zenithbank.com. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "Nafdacnigeria.org". Nafdacnigeria.org. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  5. ↑ Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine.

"Dora Akunyili Dead From Cancer At Age 59"

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