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.”
-This interview was first published on April 21, 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment