Cardinals, Bishops, priests officiate at Akunyili’s burial

Francis Cardinal Arinze, former head of inter- religious affairs at the Vatican was at the head of the Concelebrated Requiem Mass for the late Professor Dora Akunyili, who was buried, yesterday, in her hometown, Agulu, in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State. Also among the officiating priests were John Cardinal Onaiyekan, 28 bishops and archbishops and about 100 priests from the various dioceses in the country. Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, and his wife, former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, and his wife, Governor Willie Obiano and his wife, Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, immediate past governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, and his wife, as well as the wife of Abia State governor, Mrs. Odochi Orji and her Ebonyi State counterpart, Mrs. Josephine Egwu, among others were also in attendance. Successor of Professor Akunyili at NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, Director-General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu and that of the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Arunma Otteh, were also in attendance. Akunyili died on June 7, 2014 after a protracted battle with cancer. The entire arena of the magnificent Madonna Catholic Church, Agulu, was filled to capacity and traffic on Awka-Ekwulobia road was brought to a standstill for the over four hours the ceremony lasted. At a stage, the road had to be closed completely, such that people travelling to other states from Anambra had to find alternative routes. The funeral mass for Dora at the church was the first ceremony there since six years when its renovation began, with the priest in charge of the church saying Professor Akunyili donated N40 million to ensure its completion. U.S-based priest, Rev Fr. Damian Akpunonu, who delivered the homily at the church service, said though the late Dora would have served Nigeria more if she lived longer, God knew why she had to bow out at the age of 60 years. He said the good thing was that Professor Akunyili lived a life worthy of emulation as she infested love to all those who came across her, adding that because she died in the Lord, she would remain blessed. The clergy man said: “Dora’s husband, Chike, may still not believe that his wife is no more, having spent so much spiritually and materially to save her life, but the will of God must be done. “At the speed Dora was moving, many people had predicted a very bright political future for her, but men propose, God disposes. “For years, Dora’s name reverberated in Nigeria and in all the places she served her country and our prayer is that God should provide us with another Dora to comfort us.” According to him, what matters in life is not how long one lived, but how well. He added that the ceremony was not necessarily to bury Professor Akunyili since Jesus Christ had conquered death, but to give testimony to the legacies she left behind. Governor Wilie Obiano, who spoke on behalf of Anambra State, said Akunyili truly lived what Anambra stood for, which is, ‘The Light of the Nation,’ and urged Nigerians to key into the re-branding programme she initiated when she was the Minister of Information, which was ‘Good people, great nation’. Speaking during the burial, former Governor Peter Obi said one of the lessons to be learnt from her death was the transient nature of earthly life and the futility of being a slave to earthly attractions. Obi, who said that if heaven were attained by testimonies of people, he was sure Prof. Dora Akunyili was in heaven already. Culled from Vanguard Newspaper