For Late Prof. Dora Akunyili, Honours Never Cease

If the dead could see, Prof. Dora Akunyili, the former Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) would have given a winsome smile from the grave for the avalanche of awards, recognitions and honours since her demise ten years ago.

While some die and their names go into oblivion, it is not so for  Akunyili as her sweet memories continue to linger.

Last weekend, the Silverbird Group, led by Sen. Ben Murray Bruce, in a unanimous decision with Nigerians’ votes, conferred the late senator with Silverbird Posthumous Award, alongside other past fallen heroes, such as Alex Akinyele,Ahmed Joda and Professor Tam David West. 

As gathered, the audience at the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites went into deft silence as the video of the citation relayed the lives and times of those who had fallen in the service to humanity and Nigeria.

The award was received by her son, Obumneme, now a Director General at Anambra State Project Management and Monitoring Office (PMMO).

Speaking about his mother, Obumneme extolled her as a giant who built a shade for the youths of this country to live. Akunyili fought against illicit drugs and fake substances, and later became the Minister of Information and Communication.

“I feel like a giant because of the shade that my mother had planted,” he said.

In 2005, Professor Akunyili was awarded Silverbird Person of the Year. She was the first woman to have been so honoured by the Silverbird Group.