Tuesday, December 6, 2005

Akunyili to be honoured at UK House Of Commons
From Tunde Oyedoyin, London

The Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Dora Akunyili, will on Thursday be honoured at the International Service Human Rights Awards Ceremony at the House of Commons in Westminster, London.

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A recipient of more than 260 international and local awards, the former consultant pharmacologist, disclosed to The Guardian yesterday that the "award came as a surprise."

She said: "I was in Egypt two months ago to receive the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) award, when I received an e-mail from the organisers, asking if I would be in London to receive award if nominated.

"For two weeks, I didn't have the time to reply, and I can't be going outside Nigeria to receive awards every time, otherwise the work will suffer. But when I had time to check their website and discovered that they are one of the oldest charities in the UK, and coupled with her itinerary, being relatively free, I quickly replied, as I wouldn't want to miss such an honour from a credible organisation."

The organisers, she said, "got back to me saying I had been nominated to receive the award and the cash prize that goes with it."

She pledged to use the cash award for NAFDAC work.

"Whatever the cash award is, I don't know, but I won't take any kobo out of it. It will be devoted to NAFDAC", she said.