In 1998, Prof. Dora Akunyili served as the South-East Zonal Secretary of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF).
Around that time, doctors diagnosed her with a rapidly growing tumor in her breast and advised that she travel to the United States for surgery.
The then Chairman of the PTF, Muhammadu Buhari, approved £17,100 to cover her treatment. Of that amount, £12,000 was paid directly to the hospital, while £5,100 was given to her for living and medication expenses.
However, when Akunyili arrived in the United States, doctors reportedly discovered that the tumor was minor and could be treated without surgery. As a result, the planned operation was cancelled and the hospital refunded the £12,000 that had been deposited for the procedure.
After returning to Nigeria, Akunyili chose not to keep the refunded money. Instead, she returned the £12,000 to the PTF and wrote a letter thanking Buhari, explaining that the surgery was no longer necessary and that she did not need the funds.
In the letter, she clarified that she was returning £12,000 out of the £17,100 because doctors had determined that surgery was unnecessary.
Many people later cited this act of integrity as one of the qualities that distinguished her public service career, which eventually led to her appointment as Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
At the time, the amount involved was considered substantial—reportedly enough to purchase a decent house in Ikoyi—yet she chose transparency over personal gain.
Her decision remains widely remembered as an example of accountability in public service.
Rare integrity: Late Dora Akunyili returned unused £12,000 medical funds
