Leadership in Service: Dora Akunyili, Drug Regulation and Nation Building

INTRODUCTION

I wish to thank God for the privilege to be here today and to appreciate Engr. Emmanuel Chiadi and the University of Nigeria Alumni Association (UNAA) Onitsha Branch, for the invitation to deliver this Guest Speech. Certainly, these are perilous times and no one should take anything for granted except the enduring love of God. “It is for the mercy of God that we are not all consumed”

It is crystal clear to all – young and old that this country is no longer working in many respects, economically, politically and socially. Evidence abounds all over. Our economy is just struggling to exit recession (the second in 5 years), growing annual GDP below population growth. Because of long years of poor economic growth, in the face of high inflation and sustained devaluation of the Naira, Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the World (with the highest number of poor people in the world). Given several other factors, especially poor operating environment in the face of shrinking purchasing power, unemployment and under employment have reached depressing levels (nearly 65% in the youth population) worsening the social environment. A combination of high unemployment and high poverty creates a fertile milieu for insecurity.

CHALLENGE OF INSECURITY

The primary responsibility of any government is the protection of lives and property of citizens and visitors. Any Government that fails in this primary role is a failed Government. That is why most governments all over the World put up a security architecture to achieve this critical function on an ongoing basis. Without adequate security in operations in any Country, not really much else can happen. New investments are stifled – local and foreign and without investments, new businesses are not built while existing ones decline in output. With that, no jobs are created or existing jobs are shed. Thus, no wealth or reduced wealth is created and with reduced wealth creation, poverty expands. And with increasing poverty the socio-economic environment is depressed manifesting in disharmony and perpetuating further poverty and insecurity. This seems to be the Nigerian situation. Added to this is the issue of manifest injustice. Many parts of Nigeria and many groups of Nigerians feel marginalized, disenfranchised and maltreated. Some of these grievances may have compounded and complicated Nigeria’s current insecurity situation.

ROLE OF LEADERSHIP

When we review the Nigerian situation, many are perplexed that our Nation is in this dire stress. A country so blessed of God should not be in this situation. It is my view that Nigeria is either established in the original Garden of Eden or in Canaan. We lack nothing – excellent agricultural potential, fertile ground, wonderful weather, stable earth crust with embedded solid, gaseous and liquid minerals. Each state in Nigeria has enough within its territory to compete fairly, locally and globally. Additionally, God gave us very ebullient Human Resources – physically strong and intellectually prodigious.

It is the responsibility of the political leaders in every nation to develop a vision and forge out the strategies and harness the resources available in its geographical space to provide for the needs of its peoples. But with the worsening situation in Nigeria, it is evident that our leaders have proven incapable of rising up to the occasion. When a critical review is made there is evidence that Nigeria’s leadership deficit is due to insufficient acquisition of the 24 Core competencies and Virtues of Leadership:

·        Sound education

·        Ability to envision

·        Capability for effective communication

·        Experience in Human Resources management

·        High level of Intelligence quotient (IQ)

·        High level of Emotional intelligence (EQ)

·        Ability to transform ideas into results (execution capacity)

·        Humility of Spirit

·        Ability and willingness to make sacrifices (self-sacrificing)

·        Ability to influence outcomes

·        High level of integrity

·        A measurable inclination to selflessness

·        A deep-seated desire to compete and excel (self-motivation)

·        A demonstrable evidence of democratic inclination

·        A palpable love for people

·        A willingness to accept mistakes and make amends

·        Keen demonstration of willingness to be accountable

·        A flair for hard work

·        Ability to Work with and in Teams

·        An ability to read and understand profit & loss statement and balance sheet

·        Measurable self-confidence and ability to tolerate diversity

·        Charisma and ability to mobilize

·        Healthy Body, mind and Spirit

·        TRUE FEAR OF GOD

In summary Nigeria needs leadership that fully demonstrates:

·        COMPETENCE

·        CHARACTER &

·        COURAGE

DORA AKUNYILI AS A METAPHOR IN IMPACTFUL LEADERSHIP

Those who had the opportunity to encounter Prof Dora Akunyili in her life time will agree that she represented the kind of leadership described above. She was a visionary leader who saw Tomorrow and exhibited extraordinary competence and courage. She was a leader who had character of integrity and forthrightness. She built a NAFDAC that stood out as corrupt-free and a team that was cohesive and highly motivated. She championed the wellbeing of her team and ensured there was discipline. She loved people and cared for the wellbeing of Nigerians. She showed her love by putting her life on line and was willing to make any sacrifice to ensure that the incidence of falsified and substandard medicines was reduced to the minimum. 

She understood the impact of communication and was able to imprint NAFDAC in the minds of all Nigerians. Both in NAFDAC and in the Federal Ministry of Information, she left indelible foot prints. Because of her impact and legacy, Dora still lives in the minds of many Nigerians. By the time she left NAFDAC she had re-written the rules of DRUG Regulation and brought most Nigerians to trust NAFDAC and trust Nigerian made Pharmaceuticals and other NAFDAC regulated products. 

Dora was a unique leader and Nigeria desperately needs her calibre. For me, she was the metaphor of sacrificial, well-informed and impactful leadership. I am proud to be associated with her. As they say, it takes a star to identify another star. When I walked into Dora’s office in 2007, with one of my younger brothers to discuss certain official matters, Dora surprised me and I quote her “Mazi Sam, I do not know what you came here to do, but I have a message for you, Go and compete to become the President of Nigerian”. I was shocked and remonstrated. She responded: “See those who are running, none of them is better than you”. I dismissed this call as a joke but today, I now know she was a prophetess, in fact, the first of the nearly 70 other prophets and prophetesses who have prophesied to me on this call to the Presidency of Nigeria. I believe that in the spirit, she must be pleased that I have finally responded to her motivation.

THE 2023 OPPORTUNITY

That the present Condition of Nigeria is the antithesis of what God wants it to be is clear to the blind. Many People feel that the Citizens especially the elite must accept a significant portion of the blame for this. My call today is that the forthcoming 2023 elections gives us the earliest opportunity to correct this travesty and anomaly where “Beggars are riding on horses, while Princes are walking on foot”

The civil society must be frontal in setting minimum standards of COMPTENCE, CHARACTER AND COURAGE which our potential political leaders must possess. To redeem our Country and turn it into a God- fearing, prosperous Nation that is at peace with itself and which is globally competitive and respected, our next crop of leaders must demonstrate evidence of competency in their previous assignments, they must show evidence of unblemished character and integrity and demonstrate the courage to stand up for the truth and defend their convictions. A cursory look at many of our past leaders shows that most of them did not have the right mix of these critical leadership virtues necessary to lift our country out of Economic Stagnation, Social disequilibrium, and spiritual morass.

My point is that the Civil Society must become an agenda setter, dictating the tune and calling the shots in order to enthrone a new political, economic and social order that will get Nigeria attain its manifest destiny as the most populous Black Nation on Earth and the Leader of Africa.

THE NEW NIGERIA GROUP (NNG)

It may be pertinent to inform all present here today that God in His infinity mercy has heard the prayers of many Nigerians, prayers of the innocent, the poor, weak and deprived and has seen tears of our women, especially the widows; He has seen the cries of the blood of the Innocent shed daily in this Nation and has mandated the emergence of a NEW NIGERIA – a First World Nation that will work for all. A Nation where righteousness will reign in Government, and all forms of evil will be eschewed. A Nation that will truly fear God and where the Love of God will permeate all facets of national interactions and activities. A nation that will work for the North and work for the South, work for the East and work for the West, work for the rich and work for the poor, work for the Strong and work for the weak. A United Nation in word and deed! That can only be a Nation which only God Himself can build through His elect.

I invite the UNAA and all the good People here who love to see a Nation where justice, equity and fair play reign to join us in Building this NEW NIGERIA! That is the present call.

Thank you so much. God bless.

* A Guest Speech presented by Pharm (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa OFR, MON, NPOM, FPSN, KSC President Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and Convener, The New Nigeria Group at the PROFESSOR DORA AKUNYILI MEMORIAL LECTURE held on September 28, 2021, at Sharon Hall, All Saints Cathedral Road, GRA, Onitsha, Anambra State

NOTE: This is the event Dr Chike Akunyili, husband of late Prof Dora Akunyili attended and on his way back met his untimely death at Eke Nkpor, Anambra State.