IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE: OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES ON YOUR PATH

Nineteen year old D was ecstatic when she saw her result. Distinction in the West African School Certificate! What a wonderful result! Things began happening in quick succession after that. D received a scholarship to the University, where she decided to study Pharmacy. Being a scholar by nature, she refused to stop at first degree level, choosing instead to study Pharmacy up to the post-graduate level. She eventually became a lecturer in a university as well as a consultant to many reputable organizations and government agencies.

Life, however, was not all rosy for D. At a point, her diabetic sister became ill and died of a fake insulin injection. This tragic incident was one of the turning points in D’s life, and years later when she began her crusade against fake drugs, some would look back on the incident as the catalyst for her actions. D, of course, is no other person than the late Professor Dora Akunyili, former Minister of Information in Nigeria and once Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Many Nigerians are familiar with the state of the pharmaceutical industry before the advent of Dora Akunyili. At the time, fake food and drugs, both local and international, flooded the markets and for some reason the then NAFDAC chairman seemed to find it difficult controlling the influx of these fake items into the market. The question seemed to be: ‘Who will bell the cat?’

However, on being appointed Director-General of NAFDAC, Dora immediately began the herculean task of sanitizing the Food and Pharmaceutical Industry in Nigeria. This did not come as an easy task and she soon made enemies. On Friday, December 26, 2003, an assassination attempt was made on her life and the silver bullet narrowly missed her hairline due to the headgear on her head. All this did not deter Dora. She knew she had enemies but she continued her crusade against fake food and drugs. Because of her courage, tenacity and productivity, she received numerous national and International awards such as the Integrity Award by Transparency International [2003]and the African Cultural Institute’s Icon of Excellence Award [2005]. She was also honoured by TIME magazine, New York, in 2005 as one of the 18 heroes of our time. 

Dora conferred with the Harmony Award by Planet Africa television, Canada.

The Oxford Dictionary defines excellence as ‘the quality of being outstanding or extremely good’. Excellence is a word that is bandied about by all and sundry, with the majority claiming to adore the virtue. However, a quick look at what is happening in workplaces and even the country at large shows that many people are merely paying lip service to excellence as a virtue as mediocrity seems to be the order of the day. 

Basically, there are three kinds of people in the world viz:

1.      People who are mediocre and who hate getting out of their comfort zone

2.      People who wish to be excellent but are discouraged by the obstacles around them.

3.      People who love excellence and who have overcome major obstacles in their path, in their quest to achieve excellence.

This post is aimed at the second type of people, those who are pursuing excellence but who are discouraged in that pursuit. Just like Dora Akunyili, you may find yourself working in a field, an environment or an organization where no one cares about doing right, mediocrity seems to be the order of the day. In trying to implement policies that lead to excellence in such organizations, note that you may go through the following process as outlined by Mahatma Gandhi;

Stage 1: The Ignoring stage: Other members of the organization may ignore your efforts in the hope that you will one day get frustrated and give up. 

Stage 2:The Laughing stage. At this point, you’re beginning to get the attention of the mediocres. They’re still a bit unsure of your capabilities and are thinking ‘just how capable is this man or woman’? They may decide to shake you up a little bit by laughing at you and ridiculing you, hoping to damage your confidence and self-esteem.

Stage 3:The Fighting stage. Now, you’ve gotten everyone’s full attention. The mediocres hate you at this point. You’re more than a fly on their wall; you’re like an irritating fly that refuses to go away. At this stage, mediocre minds fight tooth and nail to frustrate excellent minds chiefly because they cannot stand the fact that someone else was determined and courageous enough to succeed where they failed. This is a critical time for those who love excellence. It is the point at which loyalties are tested, and I must also add that this is the loneliest time for many excellent minds. Betrayals occur at this stage as some people who were regarded as friends may turn out to be enemies in disguise. Sad to say, some excellent minds give up at this stage as they can’t stand the heat in the kitchen, so to speak. 

Stage 4: The Winning stage. Excellent minds that hold on to their convictions despite the opposition will finally get to savour the sweet smell of victory. Oh la la. At this point, all sorrows are forgotten, and those who said ‘You can’t do it’ will end up saying ‘I knew you could do it all along’

In conclusion, the pathway to excellence is not an easy one, rather it is one that is fraught with obstacles and dangers… and filled with happiness as well. Dora Akunyili died of cancer in 2014, but her courage and accomplishments will never be forgotten, and wherever the history of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Nigeria is told, her name will always be mentioned. If you are presently facing challenges in your quest for excellence, keep calm, be courageous and remain tenacious. In the end, you will win.