Dora Akunyili And Nation-building
^{By Hakeem Jamiu hakeematus@yahoo.com 08083112749 SMS only}

A friend of mine was so obsessed with Dora Akunyili in her days as the Director-General of NAFDAC such that whenever she was shown on television, we used to tease him, 'come and see your girlfriend o'. He would leave whatever he was doing to come and have a look at her. My friend would always tell us that he admired her courage in combating importers and manufacturers of fake drugs- in saving lives. But all that changed in April 2009 during the gubernatorial rerun in Ekiti State. Today, the same man that had, practically, made Dora his heroine doesn't want to see her face on television again. Yes, the amount of hatred is always equal to the amount of love when love goes sour.

During the Ekiti rerun, it was obvious that Dora Akunyili covertly supported the blatant electoral robbery in Ekiti, which is presently a subject of litigation before the Ekiti Election Petitions Tribunal. When Ekiti Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Adebayo Ayoka, resigned her appointment, Akunyili announced it was embarrassing to the Federal Government and hence, unacceptable. When Dora and her cohorts in the presidency intimidated Mrs. Ayoka Adebayo to go back and complete her job, we all knew what would happen. The result of Ido-Osi, which was earlier rejected, was accepted by the same woman who stated in her letter of resignation that her Christian conscience would not allow her to do such. To add insult to injury, Dora admonished the people of Ekiti to accept the result and cooperate with the administration of Mr. Segun Oni in order to move the state forward, thus giving herself away as part of a grand conspiracy to impose an unwanted governor on Ekiti people. Her popularity nosedived. This is the point where Dora lost most of her fans who had come to realize she had been bitten by the bug of the PDP. It was so bad that my friend, who was her erstwhile admirer, asked rhetorically, 'so this woman is like this'?

Against the above background, the current rebranding venture of Dora is an exercise in futility and she knows it. Nigerians are good people, no doubt, and they want to be led by a government they elect, not impostors. The reason we are having this image problem is not because of the Nigerian people but our do-or-die leaders who have completely undermined the electoral process. She should not pretend that she doesn't know that she is scorned anywhere she goes and she should just stop dissipating her energy, time and public resources on a worthless venture. She must concentrate on the PDP, INEC, electoral reform and NEPA.

When she came to Ondo State for her so-called rebranding project, not a few people in her audience whispered that she should start her rebranding in Ekiti if she wanted to succeed. If she is sincere with herself, rebranding must start with INEC and the PDP. She must openly appeal to INEC to allow free and fair elections and stop colluding with her ruling PDP to doctor figures in favour of their candidates. She should be in the forefront of the campaign to remove Iwu as the INEC Chairman. The golden opportunity for her to rebrand Nigeria slipped during Ekiti rerun when she ought to have insisted that Mrs. Adebayo be allowed to do her job conscientiously by announcing the actual winner of that election. If that had been done, she would not have been dissipating her energy on a worthless venture called rebranding when nobody is taking her serious.

Akunyili's attitude tend to confirm the allegation of late Chief Lamidi Adedibu that Dora descended on his supporters by locking their shops because he refused her plea to help her lobby the then President Obasanjo to make her a minister. Her role in the Ekiti debacle is a pointer to the fact that she didn't want to rock the boat.

Last week, when Akunyili went on a condolence visit to the family of Chief Gani Fawehinmi, many listeners were taken aback because she repeatedly called Fayemi instead of Fawehinmi. People now wonder if the name Fayemi is etched on her subconscious as those of her PDP brass hats.

The only way her rebranding can succeed is for her to tender an unreserved apology to Ekiti people for her inglorious role in the gubernatorial re-run election, which is a lost opportunity to redeem the country's image before the international community.

http://www.independentngonline.com/oped/article01

Dora Akunyili Is A Confused Pretender

During a condolence visit to Gani Fawehinmi she repeatedly repeatedly called the great man Fayemi !!!! Obviously she was such a major player in the blatant election rigging in Ekiti to the extent that she cannot get the name Fayemi out of her head !!! Kayode Fayemi is the AC gubernatorial candidate cheated out of his mandate in the recently concluded Ekiti 'heist' !!!!  She is shameless and no different to all the undemocratic thieves destroying Nigeria. This woman insulted Gani Fawehinmi and all her supporters should bow their head in shame at this unforgivable gaffe that exposes how shallow and lacking in substance Akunyili really is. She is a deceitful empty barrel.

Na wah o. Truly baad company corupts good character.
i feel for Dora !

eniola1310:

Na wah o. Truly baad company corupts good character. i feel for Dora !

She may always have been corrupt and shallow. She probably did a good job of hiding her true character. Nobody with true integrity of character can become this undemocratic ,anti-people , and a fervent apologist of misrule to boot ,  in such a short space of time. We all saw Gani fight various Government ,  year in year out , in testimony to what true integrity is about. I think Akunyili's image is a carefully contrived fraud. You would never get the likes of Soyinka, Gani or Achebe accepting a job that entails laundering the image of a cruel, corrupt and callous Government hellbent on keeping it citizens in abject misery and poverty . This Government cannot/will not  do anything right. Instead it is proving itself adept at destroying the little gains we have made . We are now the laughing stock of the World because of how grossly inept Yar Adua's Government is. A person of integrity will work to bring down such a Government rather than join it. It will not be difficult to defeat misrule if many of us , especially those with power and influence , choose to fight a tyrannical Government rather than join it.

its just a case of one good egg thrown in with the rest of the bad eggs.
there is no way you wont get influenced and finally bad.

let me give u a clasic example,
take livi ajonuma for instance, when he was running one particular show on n.t.a,
dude was always aginst n.n.p.c and their crap tales then. always found loopholes in their stories and was most pissed about incessant fuel scarcity.
then same n.n.p.c offered him role as media spokesman and what happens, rest is history. he gets as corrupt as they all are.
giving even the most frivolous of excuses.

Dora has always been a pretender, she didnt develop this recently, she just hid it well. Its a big shame!

Well, I still believe in Dora.

Dora does not deserve all the bashing here. its very possible for people to mae mistakes. even obama flopped his swearing in ceremony.
lets ot be in a rush to forget what dora did in nafdac. infrmation ministry is a different kettle of fish altogether. there is no way politics wont be a domineering factor in any infomation ministry.
she has raised uthe bar so high and she became a victim of her success in nafdac

Akunyili was nobody b4 OBJ call her 4 service she now discovered that been in politics is sweet she immidiately turn out to be a politician .
     LEAVE THE WOMAN  ALONE SHE IS LOOKING 4 WHAT TO EAT she will eat until she vomit and later she will start to eat her vomit wash out after her ministerial post she will lobby 4 another political office , u know no sey policts sweet,

For Dora Akunyili, I read somwhere that "Madam NAFDAC is now selling a fake product: Nigeria".
I cannot knock that quote.

and the topic of this thread is so sensational. kai poor dora!!!

No comment until after my investigation,as a matter of fact,i want four members to volunteer to carry out this investigation with me.Please indicate your interest in this case by saying"i am a member of the four man committee on Dora's role in Ekiti election"

Have u guys 4gotten so quick the good work she did wit nafdac? one thing wit nigerians is dat they tend 2 4get about ur good deeds immediately they see ur mistake,blames and criticism make the order of the day.haba NLanders just let the woman be as 4 me she is still good.

One thing about Nigerians is their tendency to pull down people. I do not know if shes been bitten by any corruption bug, but have you forgotten how she almost got shot when she was in NAFDAC? How the bullet was lodged in her headgear? How many of her people who were in the fake drug business were against her?
How many of you people writing trash about her can do what she did?
If shes messing up and making mistakes, it shows shes human. Shes not superwoman and anyone can make mistakes. Nigeria does need rebranding, and I admire what shes doing. At least shes not hiding behind a PC bashing people. Rather, shes trying to do something, at least.
My question to all of you bashing her is this. Where is your own legacy?
Flame me all you want, I'm even thinking of leaving NL sef. Nonsense. Go risk your life for a cause, before you come here bashing people.

@Poster

I guess if Fake Drugs have killed you years back, you wont be here on the Forum bashing the poor woman.

What is it with us Nigerians? So because she made a mistake saying a name that didn't even originate from her tribe, she is a Confused pretender?

Get a life!

Well its was just a matter of time before her intergrity went its a shame she had to commit that blunder in front of grieving people, Any who she should have stepped down while her ovation was loud in NAFDAC,

Well I've not seen the bad aspect that required u people calling her bad names.
But if at all her image is been tanished, i will state here categorically that

The federal Government has planned it, by giving her a post out of her profession.
That they (The federal government) will not want people to single her out of their selfish interests
thereby including her in matters that can ruin her integrity and prestige.

the hardworking woman is not to blame, cos from onset we all witnessed that she takes nothing for granted
During her tenure as NAFDAC Chief, she refused loads and loads of bribe, she always stand firm in her authority,

Nothing good comes from the federal government office
once you enter there you will be inflicted with that disease knowingly or unknowingly.

I bet that this woman knows what to do, but she's been engineered
by the Evil top men in the federal government.  

If you bet me, put Fashola as the Senate president there next term (for example)
and see how well he goes, (it's a disease) nobody enters there with good intention and accomplish it.

If you bet me, put Fashola as the Senate president there next term (for example)
and see how well he goes, (it's a disease) nobody enters there with good intention and accomplish it.

how come he is accomplishing nw? guess he is under a spell of discipline and integrity.


well , i know she is selling a fake product, re-branding

savesoul:

@Poster

I guess if Fake Drugs have killed you years back, you wont be here on the Forum bashing the poor woman.

What is it with us Nigerians? So because she made a mistake saying a name that didn't even originate from her tribe, she is a Confused pretender?

Get a life!

so becAuse she did well in NAFDAC that means we have to place a halo over her head for all eternity, abi?
Judge her based on what she's doing now - if you were to grade her on what she's doing now, what grade would that be?
Her job has changed, she's no longer with NAFDAC. Simple as that!

she did well while @ NAFDAC bt now she is so much of a politician that she gives every VIP that visits her an umbrella _{(green & white color)} all in the name of re-branding Nigeria, but trust mi that umbrella really is another way of saying "PDP"  

NIGERIANS!!!!!!   NAWA O,WE DNT EVEN WASTE TIME IN LOOKN 4 FAULTS AS LONG AS IT CONCERNS A GOOD NIGERIAN,SORRY TO SAY BT IF D WOMAN DIDNT CALL D NAME CORRECTLY WHOSE BUSINESS IS IT IN D FIRST PLACE?   SHE IS AN IBO WOMAN!!! HOW MANY IBO PIPS CALL OUT YORUBA NAMES PROPERLY? PLS HOW MANY OR WAS SHE GIVEN A PEN ND SHE WROTE FAYEMI? ABEG WEN WE DNT AV GOOD CITIZENS LIKE HER,DNT SPOIL SOMEONES IMAGE,D ONLY TN U WILL GET IN RETURN IS UR OWN NAME BN THROWN IN2 D MUD SOMEDAY,TRUST ME

@harry,
ever heard that to whom much is given much is expected.
when u are placed in such position, u are not expected to fail. and even if you do, @least make the people know your intentions were right.
with much power comes much responsibility. even harry poter knows that.


if they give u a post and u know you cant fit into that position,
then better get out and let someone else take the post.
no be by force. its best you know your field and stick to it.

savesoul:

@Poster

I guess if Fake Drugs have killed you years back, you wont be here on the Forum bashing the poor woman.

What is it with us Nigerians? So because she made a mistake saying a name that didn't even originate from her tribe, she is a Confused pretender?

Get a life!

My friend , insult me all you want. I don't care. What I have come to hate more than anything else in the World is the usurpation of the mandate of voters !!! It is the biggest reason Nigeria does not work. It is the difference between progress , typified by Ghana currently, and failure typified by Nigeria. We have too many illegitimate men and women running our affairs when they don't possess our mandate. These men and women then go on to work for the interest of their Godfathers/kingmakers to the detriment of Nigeria.

Which decent Nairalander is not sick to death at the current situation of Nigeria ?

Which Nairalander does not want a situation where proven performers are elected into important positions of leadership rather than what we have now whereby corrupt and incompetent 'Olodo's' are rigged in to regress Nigeria?

We all saw Akunyili's disgraceful role in Ekiti. We are all seeing how she has become a shameless apologist of this unrepentantly shameless Government to the extent that she labelled Nigerians in the diaspora ,who will not 'shut up' -like many of us , the "greatest enemies of Nigeria" !!!

Keep idolising Dora for her past work and keep insulting those of us who have seen the big picture in recognising that whatever she has done in the past is now overshadowed by the greatest political sin of all - denying the people the chance to choose their leaders and thus their destinies !!!!

When she was in NAFDAC, she did so well and i was so proud of her. Now, she has been corrupted because of her relationship with the execu-thieves. Truly, bad company corrupts good manners.

besides all this, i've not seen anything mad she has done.
She is still a woman to be count on.

Lets appreciate our heroes
She always says in her interview that we Nigerians like to highlight ugly parts of our Nation and the people
thereby destroying the Imgae of the nation worldwide. No country will tell you  that they are all saints. But they always try to hide their ugly parts while working on its improvement.

NAIJA LOWA, KILO NSHELE

WERENU YA NWAYO UMUNNEM

i'm personally disappointed in dora. ever since she took up that appointment
she has been mired in one controversy after another. from nta N8.2b contract
to ekiti re-run, etc.

it's a shame and all these flashing of eyes on network news isn't doing her any
good either.

I think her calling was that NAFDAC cos according to her she lost a sister to fake drug and that brought the passion and determination for the work. Those things left her immediately she left that office and the naijan side of her which she intends to rebrand started coming out.PDP!!!!!!!!!!

Integrity. Consistency. Credibility.

If you cannot be associated with all of the above then you are not worth respecting.

You dont loose what you dont have my dear

Harry Potter:

Have u guys 4gotten so quick the good work she did wit nafdac? one thing wit nigerians is dat they tend 2 4get about your good deeds immediately they see your mistake,blames and criticism make the order of the day.haba NLanders just let the woman be as 4 me she is still good.

No! We have not forgotten and that's why pple are saying all these. Because people are trying to fathom who the real Dora is. At Nafdac, I admired her courage and selfless service but as a minister, she is totally a different person.

As a minister, she has shown after all she's no different from any other politician out there. All you need do is pay attention to her speeches and the role she played in the Ekiti election, NCC issue and other issues and if you've been her admirer as I was, you can't help but notice the change.

Secondly, this rebranding thing IMHO is a no brainer. You can't rebrand a product without going thru the production process. If a product is deemed to have bad taste. what made it bad? what are the factors that contributed in making the product to be bad. Until you look inwards and try to filter out those factors, no matter how you repackage the product it will continue to taste the same.

Nigeria does not need rebranding. it is Nigerians that needs to be rebranded and this rebranding should naturally flow from the top.

krimi:

NIGERIANS!!!!!!   NAWA O,WE DNT EVEN WASTE TIME IN LOOKN 4 FAULTS AS LONG AS IT CONCERNS A GOOD NIGERIAN,SORRY TO SAY BT IF D WOMAN DIDNT CALL D NAME CORRECTLY WHOSE BUSINESS IS IT IN D FIRST PLACE?   SHE IS AN IBO WOMAN!!! HOW MANY IBO PIPS CALL OUT YORUBA NAMES PROPERLY? PLS HOW MANY OR WAS SHE GIVEN A PEN ND SHE WROTE FAYEMI? ABEG WEN WE DNT AV GOOD CITIZENS LIKE HER,DNT SPOIL SOMEONES IMAGE,D ONLY TN U WILL GET IN RETURN IS your OWN NAME BN THROWN IN2 D MUD SOMEDAY,TRUST ME

My friend, that is no excuse. There is absolutely no need for you to patronise our intelligence here !!! Haba !!! So because I am Yoruba I should pronounce  Nnamdi Azikiwe as Nomodu Ezekinu when Azikiwe's greatness as a Nigerian means that , if I cared and were paying attention ,I  should  have heard the great man's name pronounced a million times - especially if If I am a Government official . Fayemi, when pronounced , does not sound remotely like Fawehinmi !!!We are led to believe Akunyili is intelligent so where has she been in the past several decades not to have heard Gani's name pronounced a trillion times?

Let me warn folks in advance that I can be insulted all day. I will not care or respond in kind. Folks can call me haters .  I will only say that we are at different stages in our political development. I will never defend anyone blindly because they are Yoruba when their actions is clearly contributing to the mess Nigeria is in. I love all Nigerians from all corner of Nigeria too much to have such a narrow outlook. We all shout for progress everyday without realising that electoral reforms that will usher in the leadership choices of the Nigerian people is the best guarantee of this progress we seek. Any one or anything that works against the emergence of the choice of Nigerians , regardless of their past achievement, should be held as an enemy of Nigeria . Simple. If we don't realise this and we continue to insist on deifying yesterdays heroes, even when they have glaringly become today's monster, then our beloved nation will continue to move backwards.

Although she did well in NAFDAC, thank goodness, she & her colleagues did not succeed in bringing Fayemi in.