We Remember Late Dora Akunyili As Today Marks Her 62nd Posthumous Birthday

We remember you today ma. Continue to rest in peace. Amen

Late Dora Nkem Akunyili (14 July 1954 – 7 June 2014) was the Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of Nigeria and Nigerian Minister of Information and Communications from 2008 to 2010.

She was a pharmacist and governmental administrator who gained international recognition and 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. She died in an India hospital on 7 June 2014 after a battle with cancer.

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), Decemb2005

• 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, Dec. 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, 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.

• Integrity Award 2003 – Transparency International.