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When Professor Akunyilli ‘Found’ Her Voice By Olufemi Nelson Fajolu
This past week will go down the memory lane as the most significant one in the life of Professor Dora Akunyilli. Yes I know this woman has come a long way, she has seen death face to face (in her struggle to fight for what she believes in), and she has taken on the mighty in Nigeria and fought them like a lion will fight an invading enemy. In her profession, she has reached the peek - she is a professor of Pharmacology and yet all these will pale when put side-by-side with her current and brand new battle.
Mrs. Akunyilli was reported to have finally decided to take on the mafias in the present government of Alhaji Umoru Yar’Adua – the ailing president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Members of this mafia had done all they could to suppress any voice of reasoning within and outside the government in Nigeria. They have ignored eminent Nigerians whose names are too numerous to begin to count who have called for the ailing president to do the right thing by handing over to his deputy. These people include former presidents, former heads of state, former senators, former Justices of the supreme court, the only Nobel laureate in Nigeria, Pastors, Imams, civil society organizations, all the ethnic bodies in Nigeria, the Nigerian Senate and in fact majority of Nigerians. But the faceless cabal insisted on maintaining a status quo where no one is in charge of the affairs of Nigeria, they told lies after lies about how vice president Jonathan has been speaking to the president on his sick bed, about how there is no vacuum in the presidency even in the face clear and overwhelming evidence that proof the existence of not only a vacuum but a big gulf. To worsen matter in an attempt to beat a court deadline, they presented a kangaroo report to Nigerians telling us that a president whom no one (including all the members of the executive committee) has seen for over seventy (70) days was not only fit but also was in-fact in charge of the nation.
But, like every other Nigerian, Professor Akunyilli (who is suppose to be the face and voice of the executive) said ‘no more’, she joined her voice to that of the masses and shouted ‘ENOUGH’. She was tired of lying, she could no longer do things that her conscience disagrees with, she reinvigorate the man (maybe the woman) in her, her Christian values were tired of being suppressed and finally she broke down like the biblical Saul when he was met on his way to Damascus by Jesus Christ and she spoke her mind.
Those of us that know a little bit about the antecedents of this courageous woman were not totally surprised of her moves – in fact it would have surprised some of us if she had been able to continue to silent her conscience. It was obvious from her body language all along that it would only take a matter of time for her to declare her independence from the shameless gang that call themselves the executive committee. Though she spoke day after day in defense of the lies that were been foist on Nigerians by their government, she was clearly uncomfortable with lying and I noticed this, which was why I recently wrote an open letter to her calling her to leave the government for her own sake. But rather than leave as I suggested, she did something that was more reasonable and of course carries more risk than what I suggested in my letter. She publicly declared a war on some of the most powerful people in a government she is part of – that is unprecedented in Nigeria.
There have been reports about how some other ministers are very supportive of her actions but that many of them are simply not man enough to speak out. I challenge all the ministers in this category to remember that the events of today will become history tomorrow and history will judge them based on which side they stand in this trying time of Nigeria – there is no need standing on the wrong side of history simply because of fear. As the executive committee again prepares to take up Professor’s Akunyilli’s memo in their next meeting these ministers must speak out; and forcefully too to advance the course of truth in Nigeria and I can assure them that history will not fail to mention their names among the patriots that save Nigeria from an impending crisis.
As for Mrs. Akunyilli, I have no doubt that she thought deeply about and was prepared for the mass attack that is already being launched at her, her personality and even her family by the forces of status quo even though they fail to address the substances of the issues she raised. She should know that more will come but the truth is that she has passed the test of history and history will definitely judge her right – way to go madam!!!
Olufemi Nelson Fajolu
Knoxville, TN. USA. |