I’m contented— Dora Akunyili

Prof. Dora Akunyili
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For one who was a former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and former Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili was always on the move.

You wonder how a pharmacist, who has gained international recognition and won hundreds of awards for her work in pharmacology, public health and human rights, was able to take care of her family then.

“I must give much of the credit to my husband, Dr. Chike Akunyili, for being very supportive and understanding,” she says. A mother of six children, Akunyili would make some women go green with envy when she adds: “If all husbands could be like him, I am sure married women who wish to pursue careers or engage in politics would be able to soar to greater heights.”

Also attributing her success at the home front to hard work, the Anambra-born academic-turned-politician states: “I am spending more time with my family now. I’m trying to make up for all the years I’ve been largely kept away from them by one appointment or the other. I have also worked hard to maintain my home, fully aware that being a successful wife and mother is the greatest appointment any married woman can get. Life goes on after public office; so if you destroy your home due to political or professional appointment, where do you return to at the end of the day? It’s surely not worth it for a woman not to pay attention to her home which is her primary constituency.

“It is all about getting your priorities right. I believe that a woman’s husband is her crowning glory, so whatever a woman achieves should never get into her head because her husband remains her husband and the head of the family. I always tell people that I wouldn’t have been serving my husband the way I do if I were to be less successful than I am by the grace of God. Just as women need constant reassurance of our husbands’ love, our husbands also need constant reassurance of our respect and submissiveness. A happy home makes a woman emotionally stable for greater achievements.”

Born July 14, 1954, she was minister until December 2010. She contested in the 2011 Anambra senatorial election but lost. Does she think she was fairly treated?

“Fairly treated by whom?” she asks. “Moved by my desire to serve my people in another capacity, I voluntarily resigned my appointment as Minister of Information and Communications on December 15, 2010 to enable me contest the April 2011 senatorial election on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance. My governor, Mr. Peter Obi, also invited me to come and run for Senate so as to join him in working for the good people of Anambra State. I was rigged out during the election and technicalities prevented me from reclaiming my mandate at the election tribunal, as my petition was not heard because my opponent employed delay tactics to ensure that the case was not decided within the 180 days stipulated by the Electoral Act.”

You cannot talk to Akunyili and not discuss issues bordering on women and politics in Nigeria. Though she insists that she does not have any regrets in politics, she would not deny the challenges women face. Describing them as ‘monumental’ she says, “It is true that no one has deliberately erected barricades on our way, as some parties even waive participation fees for female aspirants, but our experience on the field is something else.

“One of the greatest problems facing female politicians is violence. Sadly, thuggery and election rigging have become part and parcel of politics in this country. We are unable to handle these twin evils because women by nature are mild, gentle, compassionate and humane. We have that motherly instinct that would not allow us to associate ourselves with violence.”

Though many female politicians wave off this side of politicking, Akunyili opens up on nocturnal meetings and female politicians.

“Another challenge we face are nocturnal meetings. Nigeria’s politicians prefer to hold important meetings at night. I believe nocturnal meetings are not the best and there is no meaningful discussion that cannot be concluded before midnight on any day. Women are not able to handle this aspect of politicking. How can a woman be outside her home at night in the name of meetings? I believe that this is a subtle way of excluding women.

“There is also the issue of high cost of contesting elections in this country. It is difficult for most women to handle, since women are generally not as rich as the men. In my case, I had to literarily beg for funds because the cost of campaigning for the senatorial elections was simply far beyond whatever money I had saved before entering the race.”

But it is not all bad news. She preaches hope to aspiring female politicians when she concludes that: “However, we can overcome these challenges through hard work. I believe that politically, women should get over 50 per cent of elective positions in this country if we support one another, because we are about 50 per cent of the population. In addition, we have the men as our husbands, sons and brothers. All we need to do is to cooperate more among ourselves and then work hard to convince these men to also support us.”

Still active in politics, she advises female politicians not to give up.

“They should be focused and learn never to give up. Women have no reason to feel inferior to men because we are created equal. But in the family, it is important for any woman who wants to succeed to realise that the man is the head of the family and treat him as such. There can’t be two captains in one ship. Two competing captains have a tendency to sink the boat. Women should strive to complement their husbands,” she adds.

Her enthusiasm for politics makes you wonder if she will go back to lecturing. Though she says she still delivers lectures to diverse audience in Nigeria and abroad, she spends more time mentoring pupils and students. Akunyili confesses that her schedules cannot allow for classroom lectures.

“Until a few years ago when my schedule could no longer permit it, I used to supervise PhD students. Who knows? Someday, I may be able to do such again or to serve as a visiting lecturer to a university, but as for returning to the classroom full-time, I do not see that happening because I now have more interests to take care of,” she says.

Always dressed in Ankara fabrics, Akunyili is a patriot of her culture. “I am passionately Nigerian and passionately African,” she says of her dress sense.

“I do not believe that our culture is inferior to that of any other people anywhere in the world. Though I put on English wear occasionally, I am proud to be identified as a Nigerian. Our dressing is part of how we can showcase our rich cultural heritage.”

Style, she believes, is neatness. “I like to appear neat, well-groomed and presentable but without unnecessarily drawing attention to myself. I don’t follow fashion trends but I believe in dressing in a respectable way.”

The former NAFDAC DG will clock 59 in July. Really, she looks great for her age. Any anti-ageing secret? She smiles and says, “One secret is a deep trust in God. I always try to be positive and not to worry too much about things. I am also a very contented person. I eat balanced diet. I avoid too much starchy and oily food and take more of vegetables, fruits and fish. I eat light all the time. I don’t drink alcohol. My exercise involves brisk walking for 30 minutes every morning. Occasionally, if it is raining or if I am pressed for time, I use the tread mill for a shorter time. My skin? I don’t abuse it with harsh bleaching creams.”