“Was Nigeria worth fighting for?” — Dora Akunyili’s son

Is Nigeria worth fighting for? — A question every honest citizen inevitable find themselves asking after deep reflections.

Contrary to the ‘fable’ that says Nigeria is a fantastically corrupt country, there were actually those in authority who wanted to do the right thing by fighting for the nation’s image. And none did so better than the late Dr. Dora Akunyili, who at one point, stood as NAFDAC boss.

If Nigerians could remember, Dr. Dora Akunyili stood front and center in the war against fake drugs and the many corruption that steeped itself in the health sector. Akunyili’s efforts then to ensure the Nigerian people were kept from harm’s length, however earned her some infamy amongst the ‘corrupt elite’, and even came at a cost to her own family and life.

She won her battles, but at the end of the day, one would have to wonder if she eventually lost the war.

For her son, Edozie John Akunyili, it is more of the question of whether ‘Nigeria’ was worth fighting for in the first place.

The son of the late Dora Akunyili, former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), took to social media to voice deep concerns about the state of Nigeria, asserting that his family made significant sacrifices for the nation all to end in futility.

Akunyili’s sentiments emerged following tributes pouring in for his late mother amidst revelations of factories producing substandard drinks in Abia state.

In response to the outpouring of tributes, he questioned the worth of his mother’s sacrifices considering the persistent issue of corruption in the country.

Expressing profound sorrow, Akunyili conveyed that he and his siblings would give anything to have their parents back.

He disclosed that his mother’s demise was a consequence of her dedicated commitment to her work at NAFDAC, delaying necessary medical procedures, which ultimately led to the discovery of cancerous growth.

The younger Akunyili lamented the prevalent falsehoods, corruption, and the use of dirty politics in Nigeria.

He expressed deep anguish over the realization that their mother’s sacrifice might have been in vain in a country where dishonesty, corruption, and impunity are normalized at the highest levels.

“Exactly. Nobody has sacrificed more for Nigeria than our family, and yet we constantly ask ourselves if it was worth it?

“We would give anything to have our parents with us, but Naija moves on with corruption and impunity from the top down seen as normalcy,” Akunyili stated, highlighting the ongoing struggles despite the sacrifices made by their family.

Was Dora Akunyili’s fight and death all for Nothing? Or did she go to extreme lengths to save a Country that didn’t want to be saved?