The man that drafted the late Prof. Dora Akunyili from the lecture halls of the University of Nigeria to politics, Chief Dan Ogbuefi, has said that the first civilian governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, confessed to him that he would have made the late Amazon a member of his cabinet if he knew she possessed so much transformational quality.

Akunyili served Mrs. Njideka Ezeife, the then Anambra State First Lady, in various capacities.

Ogbuefi, who is the Ide of Agulu, Akunyili’s home town, said in a tribute he paid to the former Minister of Information and Communications who died of cancer on June 7 and was buried yesterday, that the performance of Akunyili in all the offices she handled after serving his wife showed that she was an embodiment of knowledge.

According to Ogbuefi, when he first met Dora in the late 1980s, he did not know that she would turn out to be an excellent leader, adding that Ezeife told him that he regretted not making her a commissioner when he came in contact with her.

Ogbuefi said: “When my wife and I met Professor Akunyili at her Agulu residence few weeks before her death, little did we know that we were meeting for the last time.

“When I met her in the late 1980s through her husband Chike, I saw in her humility, openness, service to humanity, and desire to serve others.

“I didn’t hesitate to push her into political appointment away from her lectureship at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She impressed me so much anytime we were holding Agulu Peoples Union (APU) action committee meetings or during functions as she humbled herself to serve people cheerfully.

“Before and after the commissioning of Agulu General Hospital built by Agulu community, we engaged her to assist us equip the hospital and she made it possible for the hospital to resume full operations.

“Having been satisfied with her community service, the then governor of Anambra State, Dr. Ezeife, made her a member of Anambra State Health Management Board, a member of the Advisory Council of the State Commission for Women and a director of the Better Life Programme and she did not disappoint in all the appointments.

“In fact, when Dr. Ezeife left office due to military intervention, he confided in me that if he had known then that Dora had such much qualities, he would have made her a commissioner and a member of the State Executive Council.

“When Col. Mike Attah became the Military Administrator of Anambra State, he wasted no time in appointing her a member of the Anaocha Local Government Caretaker Committee in charge of health, a post she accepted for the sake of serving humanity.

“From being the Anaocha Supervisory Councilor, she went to Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) as a Zonal Secretary and from PTF to NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control) as Director General. From NAFDAC, she became Minister of Information and Communications.

“All her activities led to numerous indelible achievements, numerous awards, commendations, and, most importantly, saving the lives of Nigerians and the human race.”

Ogbuefi urged the federal government to immortalise Prof. Akunyili in recognition of the service she rendered to the nation and humanity.

•Photo shows the late Prof. Dora Akunyili.

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