The life of Professor Dora Akunyili will always remind us that one man's effort may not be enough to put this country on a sane path until our institutions start running properly.
Professor Dora Akunyili was one of the foremost fearless personalities to have held the position of Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in this nation.
She became Director-General of NAFDAC in 2001 during the era of President Obasanjo, a position she still held until 2008, even after her appointor had left office.
From 2001, when she took over, till 2008, when she bowed out, Professor Dora spearheaded a relentless and highly successful war against counterfeit drugs.
She was so determined to have a counterfeit drug-free Nigeria that she personally stepped on strong toes and offended powerful interests.
After all, why wouldn't she be determined when, in 1988, her 21-year-old sister, Vivian, passed away after being given a fake insulin injection?
That devastating loss fueled her mission.
To her, the war against counterfeit medicine was never just an official duty. It was deeply personal.
Prof. Dora fundamentally transformed the nation's pharmaceutical landscape.
When she assumed office in 2001, Nigeria was plagued by an estimated 60% to 80% prevalence of counterfeit medicines.
But through aggressive raids, market closures, and stringent regulations, her administration dramatically reduced the circulation of fake drugs to roughly 15% by 2006.
The results were undeniable.
Her integrity, courage, and dedication later earned her over 900 awards.
But you know, trying to be sane in a country with insane standards always comes with consequences.
Corruption will always have a heavy way of fighting back.
For her good cause, she faced a series of de@th threats and escaped several assass!!nation attempts.
One of the most frightening occurred in December 2003 when assass!ns opened f!re on her car. Then, in March 2004, her office was set ablaze.
Yet she refused to back down.
While many would have surrendered to fear, Professor Dora continued her fight, determined to save millions of Nigerians from the dangers of f@ke drugs.
Sadly, life had another battle waiting for her.
Prof. Dora later fell severely ill shortly before her 59th birthday, years after she had left NAFDAC and her role as Minister of Information.
She was subsequently diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2013 and, unfortunately, passed away on June 7, 2014.
One would think the tragedy ended there.
But even after she was gone, misfortune still befell her family.
On September 28, 2021, her husband, Dr. Chike Akunyili, a prominent medical doctor, was brut@lly mur..dered by unknown gunmen in Anambra State while returning from a memorial lecture held in honour of his late wife's legacy.
His driver and police escort were also k!!!lled in the att@ck.
May the souls of Professor Dora Akunyili and Dr. Chike Akunyili continue to rest in peace.
Anytime I look back at her story, it reminds me how difficult it is for a single person to free this nation from institutions that have held it down.
I am Ekene Aninze Esq.
Before Tinubu, 100k is enough for you to rent an apartment in a very good area. Annual rent oo.
E reach Tinubu’s turn, 100k is what people use now to fuel car in a month.
No be life we dey live for this country.
BREAKING: Emeka Ike Sues INEC and Wike’s Aide Lere Olayinka for ₦10 Billion Over the alleged unauthorised release of his voter registration information.
Sometimes life can be very funny. Who is relevant today might become irrelevant tomorrow, or even be no more.
When Justice Walter Onnoghen was being forcefully removed from office, the conspiracy was so strong that Buhari had to involve members of both the Bar and the Bench because he was not so sure that Walter Onnoghen would constitute the Presidential Election Petition Panel in his own favour after the 2019 election.
So, he had to do whatever needed to be done before the 2019 Presidential Election.
The first person that Buhari's cabal approached, and who willingly gave himself up for the conspiracy, was Justice Danladi Umar, the then Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
When he was reached out to, he helped Buhari and his cabal by signing an ex parte order directing the removal of Justice Walter Onnoghen, even without due process.
After the removal, Justice Danladi Umar did not waste time. He proceeded to try Walter Onnoghen and subsequently secured his conviction.
Fast forward to November 20, 2024. The same Danladi Umar was disgraced out of office by the Akpabio led National Assembly when a two-thirds resolution was passed for his removal over allegations of corruption and abuse of office.
And that was how a career that started in 2011 came to an end.
Today, no one speaks or talks about him.
At least, not in Nigeria's good history books.
The second person who gave himself up for the conspiracy was Justice Ibrahim Tanko.
Justice Tanko was the next most senior Justice of the Supreme Court to Walter Onnoghen.
Ordinarily, when the issue arose, he was supposed to reject being made Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria by Buhari, until due process was followed.
But he did not.
Immediately Onnoghen was forced out, he assumed the role of Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria the very same day.
He did not even show sympathy for his own brother on the Bench. Instead, he became a willing tool.
In June 14, 2022.
Fourteen Justices of the Supreme Court wrote an internal memo against Ibrahim Tanko which later leaked to the public.
They accused him of corruption and neglecting the welfare of other Justices.
Subsequently, he was advised by Buhari's cabal to resign.
On Sunday morning, June 26, 2022, he officially tendered his resignation letter, citing severe health issues, including memory disorder.
Though those were his official reasons, but every Nigerian knew what swept under carpet.
Since then, his name gradually faded from public consciousness. People barely speak of him anymore.
The third person who gave himself up in support of the conspiracy was Abubakar Malami.
As Attorney General, he knew the implications of exposing the Judiciary to such intimidation, yet he volunteered himself as a willing tool. He was the one who dragged Walter Onnoghen before the Code of Conduct Tribunal and ensured that he was convicted.
Today, Abubakar Malami is facing a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering, abuse of office, and conspiracy, and he has not made significant headway with his defence.
And you may ask, what about Buhari, for whom all these things were done?
He has journeyed to the world beyond, with little or no clue about what is happening in the land of the living.
Mind you, I am not saying that Walter Onnoghen was a Saint, but it shouldn't have cost both the Bar and the Bench anything to insist that due process should be followed.
Atleast, that would have gone a long way in shielding the Judiciary from becoming a prey.
At the end of the day, the irony of power is funny.
Today, you may be relevant. Tomorrow, the same system you fought so hard to protect may become the instrument of your downfall.
Those who aid political actors today with favourable judgments that undermine democracy should remember that one day, they too may become victims of the very system they helped to empower.
History has a strange way of balancing the scales.
I am Ekene Aninze Esq.
As expected, Adams Oshiomhole went on a full 90-minute podcast with Seun.
❌ He did not discuss the state of the nation.
❌ He didn’t discuss the insecurity that k!lled military generals.
❌ He didn’t discuss the kidnapped underage girls held by terrorists for months.
❌ He didn’t discuss kidnapped victims being r@ped and recorded by terrorists.
❌ He didn’t discuss the teacher beheaded by terrorists.
❌ He didn’t discuss the hike in cooking gas.
❌ He didn’t discuss Tinubu’s achievements over the past three years.
He and Seun spent over 90 minutes talking about Peter Obi. Seun never interrupted him even when he lied about Peter Obi. A very terrible and dishonest journalist @seunokin.
You wonder why they don’t go to Arise TV for this kind of nonsense?
So in a desperate attempt to discredit Peter Obi's candidacy, Adams Oshiomhole publicly went on Channels TV yesterday to falesly claim that it was during Peter Obi's time that the Bakassi Boys operated and became unruly.
Well, it is important that we set the records straight for those who may be tempted to buy such cheap narratives.
The Bakassi Boys never operated during Peter Obi's time.
As a matter of fact, one of the things Peter Obi did when he assumed office in 2006 was to totally outlaw any form of Bakassi operation in Anambra State, regardless of the guise under which it was being carried out.
It was Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju who introduced the Bakassi Boys, and their operations spanned through his administration and continued until the time of Chris Ngige.
Secondly, Oshiomhole also claimed that during his tenure as Governor, which ran concurrently with that of Peter Obi, Edo State was peaceful. That, too, is far from the truth.
Edo State was never peaceful during Oshiomhole's time. Insecurity, k!dnapp!ngs, and cult-related v!olence became some of the defining features of that era.
There is overwhelming evidence that speaks loudly to this reality.
Or was it not the same Edo State where Chief Mike Ozekhome was kidnapped along the Auchi Road in 2013, an incident that triggered massive protests by lawyers over the alarming rate of kidnappings in the state?
How can Oshiomhole forget so soon?
How can Oshiomhole comfortably claim that Peter Obi was Governor of Anambra State and did nothing about insecurity when he himself repeatedly complained that the Federal Government controlled security apparatuses to the disadvantage of state governors?
How can Oshiomhole forget that Edo State became so unsafe during his tenure that his own Principal Private Secretary, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, was murd..ered inside his residence at 2nd Ugbor Road, GRA, on the 4th of May, 2012?
These are not stories. These are documented events.
If I were Oshiomhole, I would not use insecurity as a yardstick to discredit anybody because Oshiomhole simply does not have the moral standing to do so.
Oshiomhole is one of the closest allies of President Tinubu today. He was also a close ally of Buhari yesterday. Under both administrations, in which Oshiomhole has remained an influential political figure, insecurity has grown significantly worse across the country. But let's leave that conversation for another day.
Today, if you visit Edo North, the senatorial district Oshiomhole represents, you will find that it is arguably the most insecure zone in Edo State.
Yet, Oshiomhole has not done anything remarkable to change that reality.
So what right, what locus, does Oshiomhole have to criticize anyone over insecurity?
That is the question.
I am Ekene Aninze Esq.
You think that Edo state governor is the most foolish politician in the world? Wait till Tinubu discovers another one.
Tinubu is the Mungo Park of all incompetencies.