I used Prof Dora Akunyili's photo as my dp, sometimes in 2014. For days her righteous face adorned my Facebook page. A pretty Igbo lady came to my Inbox to ask if Dora Akunyili is my aunt. I said NO. And, I went further to say I just admired her. Of course, I knew why she asked that question.
In the face of intimidation and danger to her life and family, Mama Dora of NAFDAC, stood her ground to rid our land of fake pharmaceutical products. Then, it became a norm to have NAFDAC number on any pharmaceutical productsl or processed food. Nobody would buy your wares if they didn't have NAFDAC number. I really don't know what is happening in that sector now. I don't know what has become of Prof Dora Akunyili's legacy right now.
When Yaradua made her information minister, I was one of her admirers who complained, bickered and took exception to such "ludicrous" appointment. "How can you take our Dora, who's doing so wonderfully well in flushing out trashy and killer drugs from our society, away and replace her with one suboptimal person who might compromise his integrity in the face of unrelenting intimidation from the fake medications merchants" , I seemed to be saying.
However, madam Dora, like a million stars, shone, yet again, in her new assignment. I have NEVER in my chequered life seen a public official who is as honest and clean as that woman. As I type, right now, I feel the pain of her demise the more. That was one woman I would have campaigned for, free of charge, as Nigerian first female president. But, death is a bastard !!! Death is a dunce. There are many lowgrade and worthless humanoids just occupying this geographical space with us yet, the cold hands of death refuse to locate them. But, he snatched our dotting and venerable Mama Dora Akunyili away, forever. Oh!
Well, this write-up is really not about adorable Dora. It is about avoidable death in our midst. I am pained to learnt that malaria ....common malaria, being transmitted by some wee beasts, still kill in my country. And, I am more pained that fake drugs are still being peddled in the streets of Nigeria. I am really angry. I am sad. I am pained that we allow avoidable death to snatch our finest and brightest away.
Eric Aribayi's death came to me as a shock. I was disturbed and more pained to hear that a fake/expired malaria drug was the cause of his untimely death. His death has yet again brought to our consciousness the menace of fake and counterfeit drugs and their merchants in our society.
In 2008, I had a medical procedure: appendectomy. After the procedure, I still went to the hospital daily, for dressing. Normally, according to the doctor, the "stitches" were to be digested into my sister. So that, by say 2 weeks, the surgical wound would have closed. Alas, after 2 weeks, the wound was still there, festering. Haah ! There was a guy in my neighbourhood with whom I was comparing note. ( The guy, too, just survived appendicitis. He had the experience, so to speak). I told him about my ordeal. He alerted me that something untoward must be happening because his wound closed by 2 weeks. I went back to the doctor.
Long story short, the doctor confirmed they might have used fake "stitches" on me !!! Whaaaat? The young man had to reopen the "wound" again. And, restitched. This time without anasthesia !! And, I was yelling like a baby! I should have sued the hospital. But, I noh get moni nau.
I will share another fake drug story. This happened as recently as just last year. Because of lack of forex for pharmaceutical companies to purchase drugs , a government owned hospital dispensed expired drugs to my mum. Yes, you heard me right: a government owned hospital !!! It was God that saved my mum.
I know many of us have stories and unsavoury tales to tell about the menace of fake and adulterated drugs in Nigeria. The question really is what are the government agencies saddled with the responsibilities of making sure we have quality drugs doing ?? The most adulterated drugs are malaria and typhoid drugs. How do these fake drugs beat our borders ?? How many arrests were made last year? And how many convictions ??
Dora Akunyili advocated death penalty for the peddlers of fake drugs, and rightly so. These merchants of death are not fit to live. The big time operators, importers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and vendors of fake drugs are not fit to live. They should be arrested, tried, and sent to hell !!! They have killed thousands of people and rendered many fatherless and motherless. They killed our Eric Aribayi. They almost killed me.
ADEDAYO
In the face of intimidation and danger to her life and family, Mama Dora of NAFDAC, stood her ground to rid our land of fake pharmaceutical products. Then, it became a norm to have NAFDAC number on any pharmaceutical productsl or processed food. Nobody would buy your wares if they didn't have NAFDAC number. I really don't know what is happening in that sector now. I don't know what has become of Prof Dora Akunyili's legacy right now.
When Yaradua made her information minister, I was one of her admirers who complained, bickered and took exception to such "ludicrous" appointment. "How can you take our Dora, who's doing so wonderfully well in flushing out trashy and killer drugs from our society, away and replace her with one suboptimal person who might compromise his integrity in the face of unrelenting intimidation from the fake medications merchants" , I seemed to be saying.
However, madam Dora, like a million stars, shone, yet again, in her new assignment. I have NEVER in my chequered life seen a public official who is as honest and clean as that woman. As I type, right now, I feel the pain of her demise the more. That was one woman I would have campaigned for, free of charge, as Nigerian first female president. But, death is a bastard !!! Death is a dunce. There are many lowgrade and worthless humanoids just occupying this geographical space with us yet, the cold hands of death refuse to locate them. But, he snatched our dotting and venerable Mama Dora Akunyili away, forever. Oh!
Well, this write-up is really not about adorable Dora. It is about avoidable death in our midst. I am pained to learnt that malaria ....common malaria, being transmitted by some wee beasts, still kill in my country. And, I am more pained that fake drugs are still being peddled in the streets of Nigeria. I am really angry. I am sad. I am pained that we allow avoidable death to snatch our finest and brightest away.
Eric Aribayi's death came to me as a shock. I was disturbed and more pained to hear that a fake/expired malaria drug was the cause of his untimely death. His death has yet again brought to our consciousness the menace of fake and counterfeit drugs and their merchants in our society.
In 2008, I had a medical procedure: appendectomy. After the procedure, I still went to the hospital daily, for dressing. Normally, according to the doctor, the "stitches" were to be digested into my sister. So that, by say 2 weeks, the surgical wound would have closed. Alas, after 2 weeks, the wound was still there, festering. Haah ! There was a guy in my neighbourhood with whom I was comparing note. ( The guy, too, just survived appendicitis. He had the experience, so to speak). I told him about my ordeal. He alerted me that something untoward must be happening because his wound closed by 2 weeks. I went back to the doctor.
Long story short, the doctor confirmed they might have used fake "stitches" on me !!! Whaaaat? The young man had to reopen the "wound" again. And, restitched. This time without anasthesia !! And, I was yelling like a baby! I should have sued the hospital. But, I noh get moni nau.
I will share another fake drug story. This happened as recently as just last year. Because of lack of forex for pharmaceutical companies to purchase drugs , a government owned hospital dispensed expired drugs to my mum. Yes, you heard me right: a government owned hospital !!! It was God that saved my mum.
I know many of us have stories and unsavoury tales to tell about the menace of fake and adulterated drugs in Nigeria. The question really is what are the government agencies saddled with the responsibilities of making sure we have quality drugs doing ?? The most adulterated drugs are malaria and typhoid drugs. How do these fake drugs beat our borders ?? How many arrests were made last year? And how many convictions ??
Dora Akunyili advocated death penalty for the peddlers of fake drugs, and rightly so. These merchants of death are not fit to live. The big time operators, importers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and vendors of fake drugs are not fit to live. They should be arrested, tried, and sent to hell !!! They have killed thousands of people and rendered many fatherless and motherless. They killed our Eric Aribayi. They almost killed me.
ADEDAYO
