Lagos — Last Wednesday's act of defiance by Information and Communications Minister, Dora Akunyili, was as damning an indictment of the Executive Council of the Federation as any.

Damning because she is by virtue of her position the government's mouth piece, an unenviable position which obliges her to parrot or distil (to put it more charitably) whatever propaganda government wishes to pass on to (or inflict on, depending on what perspective you view it from) the citizenry.

Last Wednesday however, the Professor finally decided, Enough is Enough! She was done with the lying and manipulation, the pretence that all was well, the charade that the wheels of government were moving unhindered. And she wanted out. 'If we fail to act now, history will not forgive us' she warned her stunned colleagues.

She was not allowed to present her memo then but has indicated she will do so again tomorrow. Evidently, the Professor has also decided that even if her actions cost her her ministerial appointment, so be it.

Some have questioned her rationale, her motives at this time, now well over 78 days since the President disappeared from public view. No matter. Minister Dora Akunyili has done the right thing, and better late than never. By this singular act, no matter which way it ends tomorrow, she has rewritten her role in the history of this nation. Her duties as Minister of Information and Communications had threatened to wipe out her achievements at NAFDAQ and had also threatened her integrity. Her integrity was what had brought her into national prominence in the first place.

The story has often been told how she, as a Public Servant returned some unspent foreign exchange obtained for a medical procedure which later turned out unnecessary, an act which at that time had seemed 'stupid'. But it was that singular act, remembered years later, which ensured her name was submitted for the NAFDAQ top job and which ensured she clinched it. She did not disappoint. Though some may query her apparent hugging of the public limelight and seemingly ceaseless collection of diverse awards, none could dispute the positive change she wrought on the counterfeit drugs and unsafe food landscape. She gave counterfeiters and their ilk a good run for their money.

With last Wednesday's surprise move, Minister Akunyili may well have redeemed not only herself, but her integrity. She may well have wiped the slate clean.

Like the proverbial cat with nine lives President Yar'Adua has thus far survived invocations of diverse constitutional provisions against him in spite of the fact that he has not been serving the Nigerian people since November 23 last year.

The 2009 Supplementary Appropriation Bill signing fiasco; the Christmas Day underwear bomber, culminating in our being declared a 'country of interest' by the United States; the change of baton in the Supreme Court; the Jos crisis; the various cases currently in court to compel him to step aside for his Vice-President; the unfortunate BBC audio interview which only served to confirm that the man was too desperately ill to begin to even think about anything but surviving his illness; the protest rallies by the Save Nigeria Group; the demand for his resignation by the man who foisted him on us in the first place; the call for his proper hand over to his Vice-President by former Heads of State and other eminent elders; the appeal by the Senate that he do the right thing by invoking S.145 of the Constitution; the open concern by the United States and the EU about the dangerous vacuum in government; the failure to appoint a sufficient number of INEC Commissioners to form the required statutory quorum of 5, resulting in a court decision last Thursday that INEC was not competent to carry out any election, including last Saturday's gubernatorial election in Anambra State; to mention a few.

These are all ordinarily instances which either required his personal attention and input or called into question his integrity and competence, and which would have in other climes led to his being declared incapacitated or being impeached.

And now, last week's break in ranks by a key Minister, the one who had been the vessel to sell the propaganda that the President was still in charge to a disbelieving Nigerian public.

Now that Dora Akunyili has belled the cat and is swimming against the (cabinet) tide, her other colleagues may well want to seriously consider following suit tomorrow and doing what is right for this nation. A few, after all, reportedly went over to congratulate her in hushed tones after the fateful cabinet meeting.

'We need to save ourselves from shame because our stand is becoming very embarrassing', Akunyili had counselled.

Ministers, tomorrow is your date with your conscience and your fate.