Just yesterday I made an interesting discovery. I was studying the profiles of some of my role models. I decided to go into the details of the person of Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili. I was awed at her accomplishments, I kept scrolling down to see achievements, believe me, I kept scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. This woman has bagged over 260 awards! I went through them one by one and believe me, they were all inspiring. She had won most of the awards between 2003 and 2006, but she had won awards from way back in secondary school. I was certainly impressed that doing the right things can get one so much attention. It certainly fires my passion to continue to render selfless service to all around me. What however amazed me the most where not the awards…
If you are interested in seeing the awards you can check here.
What amazed me the most was that I looked through her educational details expecting to see the same foreign education stint that typifies most of the respected names in government today, but didn’t find it. I was surprised, our very Prof (Mrs) Dora Nkem Akunyili is made in Nigeria. For some minuites I remembered myself 🙂 How often I had gotten asked by foreigners where in the world I schooled, they seemed ever to wonder how something good (so good :)) could be made solely in Nigeria. I’m quick to tell them, it’s all Nigeria. I have friends who share this same experience. Let them hear it people, we were made in Nigeria, and proudly so. I have had classmates who left these shores, travelled to US, UK and all, and showed them that made in Nigeria is Number 1. Sorry if you are not completely made in Nigeria, but believe me, with all humility I know a number of people who going to Havard for them, will add value to Havard and not the other way round. I have always believed that education is not a function of the environment without, but the environment within. Nigerians are passionate and driven people! I remember a meeting I went for in Poland some years back, I remember how after the training, most of the trainers came to thank me for my contributions (as a participant), they told me they were really impressed with the passion, charisma and intelligence (o ga ju – emi naa). When I see that Dora Akunyili, Adeolu Akinyemi, Gbenga Sesan, Fela Durotoye, David Oyedepo, Sam Adeyemi, Dr. Enoch Adeboye, Aliko Dangote, Olu Akinkugbe and many other powerful brands like you are made in Nigeria – I see hope for our educational system.
Don’t get me wrong, its not bad to school abroad, in fact if you are able to show that Made in Nigeria is good stuff over there, its alright. I believe strongly that one of the things that must happen in our re-orientation as a nation is placing the right value upon ourselves.
Say it with me, I _________________, together with the likes of Dora Akunyili and Adeolu Akinyemi (Haha) am Proudly, Made in Nigeria!
