It was a weekend of double honours for Nigeria’s former Information and Communications Minister, Prof. Dora Akunyili, as she was decorated with awards in both the United States of America and Nigeria on Saturday, April 21.

Incidentally, both awards were in recognition of Akunyili’s legendary war against fake medicines during her days as Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) from 2001 to 2008.

Announcing the awards, Prof. Akunyili said in a short message posted on her Facebook page: “My Dear Friends, Please join me in thanking God for this day of double honours: I’m in the USA to receive the 2013 Award for Healthcare Leadership at the 8th Annual Faces of Hope Gala of the Nigerian Healthcare Foundation and the Hackensack University Medical Center, holding at the Robert Treat Hotel in Downtown Newark, NJ. Meanwhile, I was also honoured today with the Outstanding Achievement/Performance Award by the Nigerian Law School, Abuja, Students’ Representative Council as part of the Golden Jubilee celebration of that great institution.”

In her acceptance speech at the US event, the former minister said she especially cherished the award because though from a Nigerian organisation, “the award is coming from outside Nigeria, where my efforts to improve the standard of food and drug products through my war against fake medicines had the greatest impact.”

And at Abuja, Akunyili, represented by Engr. David Abu Ozigi, said she was happy that the award was coming over two years after she last held public office. “It is thus yet another reminder that Nigerians do sincerely appreciate the little I was able to do with the opportunity given me to serve my fellow countrymen and women,” she stated.

News Express reports that Akunyili has received over 600 awards from various parts of the world.

•Photo Shows Prof. Akunyili.

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