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Akunyili
Pledges to be a Positive Influence in the Senate
Newsdiaryonline
Mon Feb 21,2011
 Immediate
past Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora
Akunyili, has pledged to be a positive influence in the Senate
if elected by the people of Anambra Central Senatorial District
in the April 2, 2011 polls.
She made the pledge
while reacting to the news of her selection as one of Nigeria’s ten
most influential women.
“I am humbled by
this rather significant honour and see it as a call to further
service to the Nigerian nation,” Akunyili said Monday in a
statement issued by her Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Isaac
Umunna.
“I promise to be a
positive influence in the Senate if it pleases Almighty God and
the good people of Anambra Central to give me their mandate to
represent them in the Senate during the forthcoming elections. I
will not only give the people the best possible representation
but also serve as a role model to my colleagues in the Senate,”
added Akunyili, a frontline senatorial candidate of the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Akunyili, who
resigned as minister on December 15 to enter the senatorial
race, had on Thursday been named as one of
Nigeria’s ten most influential
women by Business Hallmark, a Lagos-based weekly
newspaper. She was named alongside First Lady, Dame Patience
Jonathan; Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke; and
Mrs. Farida Waziri, Chairman of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Others include
Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs.
Josephine Anenih; World Bank Managing Director, Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala; Director General of the Securities and Exchange
Commission, Ms. Arunma Oteh; and Executive Chairman of the
Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui Okaru.
Also on the list
are Mrs. Amina Zubairu, Special Assistant to the President on
the Millennium Development Goals; and Hajiya Bola Shagaya, a
socialite and one of Nigeria’s most
successful businesswomen.
Unfolding the list
in Lagos,
Business Hallmark Publisher, Prince Emeka Obasi, said
Akunyili and the others being so honoured emerged after months
of research and deliberation. He vouched for the authenticity
and integrity of the list, disclosing that the names passed
through a rigorous screening exercise and standards adopted by
Business Hallmark.
Akunyili, also a
former Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has received over 500
awards and recognitions locally and internationally.
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