The family of Professor Dora Akunyili is “very baffled” by persistent rumours of the death of the former minister of information and communication, TheCable understands.
Although the family has been forced to issue denials almost on a daily basis, the rumours have refused to die down.
Rumours started circulating about her “death” in the last three weeks, forcing her media aide, Isaac Umunna, to issue regular bulletins on her health since she was flown to India on an emergency last month.
Again on Friday, the rumours were revved up. A website reported that she was dead, eliciting messages of “RIP” on the social media.
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“She is not dead,” a member of the family, who declined to be named “because I am talking reluctantly”, told TheCable. “It’s appearing to us that while many people are genuinely concerned about her health, some are actually wishing her dead. We cannot understand the motive.”
He said the family is “baffled” by the unrelenting rumours.
“We get calls almost everyday from people asking, ‘Is it true?’ We are very hopeful that she will recover. The doctors say her condition is improving. Her husband, Dr. Chike Akunyili, updates us regularly. He is a medical doctor. Our prayer is that she will be well and come back home. These rumours are killing us,” he said.
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The former director-general of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was recently quoted as sending this message from her hospital bed: “I am comforted by the fact that prayers are going on for me in churches and mosques as well as in private homes. God is answering the prayers. He has already healed me. I am only waiting for the physical manifestation of the healing. I am grateful to all Nigerians. I look forward to recovering and coming back home to rejoice with you all.”
The nature of her illness is yet to be made public, but there have been reports of cancer.
8 comments
Now this is getting confusing as The cable is the only reporter debunking this sardonic news. Be that as it may, I want to take this as a litmus test for this site, if you are found right on this issues, I will forever respect your reports, and will submit myself to work on your publicity, once your informations have been tested and trusted.
Such a life that has made tremendous impact in our nation… may you be healed speedy.
Amen
it is those people that inflicted her with this sickness that are wishing and waiting for her death.This is clearly a spiritual attack by some agents of darkness but they will be disappointed. God will heal her and she will come back hail and hearty
Why is it that nobody gets sick in Nigeria , without all this voodoo attribution to spiritual attack, whatever that mambo jumbo is supposed to mean.?That is why we are incapable of scientific efforts to solve our malaria, sickle cell anemia problems ,let alone the cancer that is possibly troubling Professor Akunyili. Please my dear person, this is the 21st century and nobody can harm you with spiritual attack. Think of it, why don’t all these people who want Goodluck Jonathan to “disappear” attack him spiritually, instead of all this Boko Haram stuff? . Please don’t tell me that Goodluck has superior Bayelsa African protection. Who will save the Black Man from himself? Anyway, whatever happens ,Dora has played her role in Nigerian and family life and can join St Paul after fighting the good fight.
I wish her the best
I believe that every thing which concerns us touches Gods heart. May Gods willing be done in DORA’s Life. Above all I wish her quick recovery like never before. And for my great Dr Akunyili her husband who has been a good representative of our Amamata (C I C Enugu) in our old boys association,may God give you the strength to carry on in the tax of taking care of one of the noble woman of our beloved country and continent. God will show why he is God.
She will live and not die in Jesus name, Amen.