She died Saturday morning in an Indian hospital of a yet to be announced ailment.
A Nigerian former Information minister, Dora Akunyili, is dead.
She died Saturday morning in an Indian hospital of a yet to be announced ailment.
A close family source confirmed Mrs. Akunyili’s death to PREMIUM TIMES. Her close political ally and the former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, as well as her spokesperson, Isaac Umunna did not respond to telephone calls for further confirmation.
Her family is expected to make an official announcement of her death in the coming hours.
Mrs. Akunyili is considered as Nigeria’s most effective drugs and food administration executive. as the first boss of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, she carried our sweeping reforms that helped Nigeria, at the time, put up a strong defence against fake drugs and food products.
She went on to serve as an information minister under the administration of Late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. She is famed for taking an apolitical stance during the 2010 power transition from ‘brain damaged’ Yar’Adua to Goodluck Jonathan, his deputy at the time.

Before her death, she was serving as a member of the ongoing National Conference, in Abuja.