Akunyili deserves a national monument

SIR: In the entire existence of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control ( NAFDAC) from inception till date, only a single name stands out among all its directors- general, and that is none other than that of the amazon called Dora Nkem Akunyili, who held the position from 2001 to 2008 and passed on some years back.

It’s not as if the other directors were non performing or ineffective but just as it is always the case in any institution or organisation, someone must definitely stand out as the best among the rest. Akunyili fit in perfectly into that picture and no one else has been able to beat her records. She gave a good account of herself throughout her tenure by devoting her entire energy into fighting against fake and illicit drugs whenever they reared their ugly heads in the entire country.

She became a violent thorn in the flesh of those who saw her as the only stumbling block towards perpetrating their dastardly businesses and several unsuccessful attempts were made on her life. Quite unfortunately, what the evil men could not achieve, ill health through cancer did and Akunyili was snatched away by the cold hands of death so suddenly at a time least expected.

Most regrettably, ever since her untimely demise, and sadly with the gruesome murder of her husband by unknown gunmen later, the Federal Government has not deemed it necessary to name a national monument after her at least to immortalise her and encourage other citizens towards the paths of true patriotism. But it’s better late than never. The government still has an ample opportunity to correct the obvious oversight and do the needful.

The National Centre for Disease Control can be named after her because she is not someone to be forgotten in a hurry. And in any case, even if the government refuses to do so, it is doubtful if most Nigerians can ever forget her because she had already written her name in gold and left indelible imprints on the sand of time. Jide Oyewusi is the coordinator of Ethics Watch International, Lagos.