THISDAYonline

Loud cries of 'mummy', 'mummy' rented the air in her liaison office at Federal Secretariat, Lagos as sheheld a meeting with her staff. The most touching was that of a young man who complained of not receiving his salary. She quickly dialled the number of the concerned authority, asking the man to speak with the head of the department of finance to ascertain the cause of the delay. Overtly, though unconsciously, she displayed what she has always said that there is no secret in the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Perhaps, it is with the same disposition that Dr. (Mrs) Dora Akunyili has always met challenges in life right from her childhood. The quality, unmistakably noticed by her father earned her a special position in the household as she excelled in her academics. Fondly, her father, the late Paul Young Edemobi, used to prevent her from doing domestic chores. To him, destiny had marked her 'great'.

She recalled hearing her father say "Don't bother Dora on domestic chores because her pen will earn her cooks and cleaners". Infuriated at such preferential treatment, her mother ensured that she (Dora) was sent to the village to live with her maternal uncle who was a teacher. From there, she continued her secondary education. "My parents believed that teachers were the best disciplinarians and my mother insisted that if I remained in the house, I would be totally spoilt".

One thing about village life which she grudgingly yielded to was exposure to different facets of life. The experience shaped her outlook of life. "There you must feel hunger. There were times when I came back from school and cried out my eyes wondering why my parents wanted me to undergo the hardship", she said.

The Nigerian civil war altered her plans to attend Queen of the Rosary College (QRC), Gboko which was then her choice. At QRC, Nsukka, where she eventually got admitted, she struggled to maintain the first position in her classes. In retrospect, she acknowledged that she was an acclaimed bookworm who had no social life.

"I was so studious that it took a lot out of my social life. Even in university, I worked very hard but was distracted by marriage though it was a welcome one because I got married after my third year and have nothing to regret".

On why she chose pharmacy as a profession, she said it was destined. Her result in secondary school was the best ever in QRC, Nsukka. "When we were to take JAMB, I never thought of pharmacy but wanted a professional course where I could do a lot of chemistry and mathematics. They were my best subjects and I felt giving them up was like giving up my soul". Nevertheless, she fell in love with the course. "I did not know that God was actually propelling me to what he really wants me to be and coincidentally, it is actually what I want to do".

Her passion for pharmacy made her specialise in pharmacology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) with the encouragement of her husband who is a medical doctor. And when she proceeded for her post-doctoral programme at the University of London, she did phytochemistry, an aspect of pharmacognosy.

Talking about her family, especially her children brought out a lot of laughter, humour and fond memories. She recalled how her children especially one of her daughters, Ijeoma has been able to scale successfully in life and find her feet in the international world. You would easily see that it is a story of a fulfilled mother that prides herself in the progress of her children. Regretfully she submitted that her present work has not enabled her to see much of them.

Recently, she was not able to enjoy the company of her son that visited the country. At his departure, all she wanted as the plane was about leaving the tarmac was to have a glimpse of him and to re-assure him that she still managed to see him off. But in all, her husband, she said, has been able to keep pace with her. "He is so perfect. I pray that God will keep him".

Among her numerous awards are, Merit Award winner, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Enugu branch; Member, New York Academy of Sciences ( 1997); Pharmacological Society of Canada's Award for the 12th International Congress of Pharmacology, Montreal, Canada (1994); Family Health International, USA Congress Award for the 10th International Conference on AIDS Yokohama, Japan (1994); Pfizer Travel Fellowship for the 54th International Pharmaceutical Federation Conference, Portugal (1994), Commonwealth Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award; Vice Chancellor's Postgraduate and Research Leadership Prize; Kingsway Prize for the best pharmacy student (first year professional); Federal Government of Nigeria Undergraduate Scholarship; Eastern Nigerian Government Post Primary Scholarship and others apart from being one of the six Nigerian lady pharmacists honoured at The Hague by the International Pharmaceutical Federation in 1998.

Admittedly, life has been good to her. This, she attributed to her father's goodwill. An event that ever stuck with her since her early days, she said, was when her father was ill and she was to go back to school. "He asked me to go for a walk with him. He was about going to Toronto Hospital at Onitsha then because of an illness that he didn't know whether he would overcome.

He said that I was going to be the pillar of his house. You know it is unusual to say this type of a thing to a small girl of about 15 or 16 years. He also said I would become somebody someday and would go places while charging me to be prayerful. My father advised me not to leave my sisters and brothers behind but should take care of them and myself because the world is wicked especially when somebody is making progress in life". That was the last time she was to see him before he died.

On whether that experience left a mark on her life, the NAFDAC boss confessed that the event is a positive force in her life. Relating the significance of the event to her work at NAFDAC, she disclosed that she has been able to handle a lot of challenges.

According to her at the time she came into the establishment, NAFDAC was having some problems, "We went to work prayerfully and with God's guidance we can say that today our humble efforts are being blessed. NAFDAC now has offices in the states and there is surveillance activity group on. I had to create state, zonal and specialised zonal offices for effective work".

So far, several enlightenment campaigns have been mounted reagrding pure water, fake and adulterated drugs. Pure water production is one of the most important aspects of poverty alleviation in the country. It engages and employs many people.

Stressing the importance of pure water, she said the Agency would educate the public on ways of preparing the water, expose them to the equipment required and explain the implication of water not properly produced and the processes involved in NAFDAC registration.

Apart from this, another important sector that enlightenment campaign is being mounted on by the Agency is for medicine vendors. In addition, she said, NAFDAC is holding dialogue with road transport owners and workers to use them to stop hawking of drugs in buses. She explained that it is more effective to convince the touts in motor parks that the drugs beaten by sun are either toxic or impotent.

The campaign which she hopes to map out for other stakeholders, involves reaching out to countries that are involved in drug faking to stop them from exporting such to Nigeria. She however, believes that the work would be easier if the Agency was to go back to the ports. She said she would like her Agency to work at entry points of goods in the country while using patriotic citizens to locate the secret warehouses of fakers in the country. The success already attained by the Agency, according to her, stems from the cooperation of drug marketers and the determination of NAFDAC staff. Furthermore, she is resolute that an alternative in the guise of a drug mart should be provided for better distribution and regulation. The drug mart, when built, she insisted, would be according to specification and more conducive for drug sale and regulation.

Eradicating fake drugs in the country is prominent on her list. Not to be detered, she explains that being complacent about people dying because of fake drug consumption is a greater sin than murder. Of the challenges, she noted, "I am working against the tide in a system where you are regulating people that don't want to be regulated. "You are regulating people that are bent on doing the wrong thing. It is like you are fighting everybody. Everybody is almost an enemy. Everybody that comes to you says, madam what are you doing again ? Be very careful. Oh! the way you are going". It hardly jolts her. "My coming here and not doing the work is greater than any sin in the ten commandments. I just leave it to God and put in the effort that is humanly possible. I refuse to be intimidated. My life is in the hand of God. They forget that so many people have died because of fake drugs even my own sister. If she had had the right insulin, she wouldn't have died.

"The forces of darkness have risen up against us to distract us, to intimidate us, and to return us to the status quo ante, but I have made up my mind not to fail God, who has elevated me to this position. He is my sustenance and my defender. It does not matter what they do, they must fail. When they gather against me, because it is not of God, they shall fail for my sake. I am on the side of righteousness. God is with me I have no reason to be afraid".

Nevertheless the Fedreal Government, she said, has strengthened her security and accorded her utmost support. Encouraged by the support of her staff and the newly constituted board of NAFDAC, she continued, "I am very happy at the calibre of chairman and members that were appointed for my board and their support these last few weeks has been tremendous," she declared. She is bent on seeing to the end of the cause. Probably, it is only then that she can afford the luxury of a vaccation. For now, her hobby is work.