Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has explained why he chose late Professor Dora Akunyili to head the National Agency For Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) during his tenure as Nigeria’s President.
Speaking at the 14th annual lecture of the Women in Management Business and Public service in Lagos yesterday, Obasanjo noted that Nigeria was not short of women of integrity and character, using Akunyili as a case study.
He said, “I was looking for somebody who would work in NAFDAC.
“There was an old man who was there and didn’t really impress me. I had had a couple of meetings with him and I found him not (to be) the type of man I would want to have on that job.
“I was talking to a friend who said, ‘Oh, there is a lady; she went to Britain for a medical (program) and when she finished, she said whatever money was left from the money deposited by her department should be sent back to the department.
“And the people called her and said, ‘Are you not a Nigerian? Nigerians will come here and say add something which you would pay back to us later.’
“So, I said there is a Nigerian woman like that, where is she?
“So, I located Dora and I said, ‘What is your profession?’ She said, pharmacy. I said pharmacy; I am looking for a pharmacist for this job. She got the job.”
The former President also encouraged women to get actively involved in politics.
DAILY POST reports that Akunyili served as NAFDAC Director-General for over five years before becoming the Minister of Information and Communications.
