Former governor of Taraba State, Pharm Danbaba Suntai, is
dead. Suntai who survived an air crash at the Yola Airport in 2012 died at home
yesterday.
He is reported to have brain injuries arising from the plane
accident. The former governor who flew the light plane himself crashed in
October 2012 and had not recovered fully since then.
Mr. Emmanuel Bello, a former commissioner for Information in
the state, broke the news of his death.
Suntai became governor of Taraba State in 2007 and was sworn
in again on May 29, 2011 for a second term. A pharmacist by training, Suntai
enrolled for training as a pilot at the Nigerian College of Aviation in Zaria
in 2010 and was thus licensed.
Prior to his plane crash in 2012, Suntai had been flown to
Germany for medication after returning from his annual leave in August 2009,
following a sudden ailment that was suspected to have developed from food
poisoning.
On his return from Germany, Suntai spoke at the opening of a
three-day regional convention of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International
in Jalingo, where he said his meal was actually poisoned.
He had had several successful flights with his private
aircraft even while piloting the affairs of Taraba State as governor.
But the travails which remained with him till he breath his
last started precisely on October 25, 2012 when a private plane he piloted
crashed in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
After receiving the initial treatment at the Adamawa
Standard German Hospital in Yola, he was later transferred to the National
Hospital Abuja on October 26, 2012. From there, he was flown to Germany and was
later taken to a rehabilitation centre in the United States for further
medication.
After 10 months of medical sojourn overseas, the Late Suntai
finally returned to the country on August 23, 2013.
After weeks of political intrigues in the North-East state
based on claims and counter-claims over his health status, it was revealed that
the former Taraba State governor was not healthy enough to live in Nigeria
without adequate treatment, or to govern a state.
He was subsequently flown abroad again for treatment, even
as his then deputy, Garba Umar, was empowered by the Taraba State House of
Assembly to fully take over the ship of the state in acting capacity.
He was brought back in the build-up to the 2015 elections
and remained confined in Jalingo until after the change of guards on May 29,
2015.
The Late Suntai Left Indelible Footprints In Taraba –
Dogara
In a condolence message, Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara expressed sadness, noting that Suntai left
indelible footprints.
Dogara, in a statement signed by his special adviser on
media and public affairs, Mr Turaki Hassan, Dogara prayed Almighty God to
comfort Suntai’s immediate family.
The Speaker who also commiserated with the government and
people of Taraba State said the former governor’s death is particularly painful
because he was a dedicated and purpose driven leader who had the interest of
his people at heart, adding that the deceased left indelible footprints on the
development landscape of the state.
He said, “I received the news of the death of former
governor Suntai with a deep feeling of sadness but God is the author of life,
from Him we came and to Him we will return.
“To the government and people of Taraba State, I extend my
heartfelt condolences, and to his immediate family members who are the ones who
will feel the pain more deeply. I pray God comforts you and gives you the
fortitude to bear the loss”.
…His Death Incalculable Loss To The Nation – Ekweremadu
Also, the deputy president of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, mourned the death of former
governor of Taraba State, Danbaba Suntai, describing it as an incalculable loss
to the nation.
Ekweremadu, while reacting to the sad news of the demise of
the former governor, said he (Suntai) gave a good account of himself as a
politician, a public administrator and party man.
This was contained in a statement signed by Uche Anichukwu,
special adviser to the deputy Senate president on media and made available to
LEADESHIP in Abuja yesterday.
Ekweremadu said, “This is an incalculable loss not only to
the people of Taraba State, but also to the Peoples Democratic Party family,
and the nation in general. We had all prayed for his full recovery following
the air mishap of October 2012.
“This is a very sad news, for he was a leader that loved his
people, for he gave a good account of himself as a politician, public
administrator, man of peace, a patriot, party man, and nation builder. He will
be sorely missed, but like all great men, he is immortalised by his selfless
service to God and humanity”.
He condoled with the family of the late astute politician,
the government and people of Taraba
State as well as the entire nation, even as he prayed for the peaceful repose
of the soul of the deceased.
His Life And Times
The late Danbaba Danfulani Suntai was born on the June 30,
1961 at Suntai Town in Bali local government area of Taraba State.
He attended Federal Government College, Kano between 1975 and 1980, as well as the School of Basic
Studies at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria between1980 to 1981.
He was admitted to Ahmadu Bello University where he read
Pharmacy and graduated in 1984.
He did his internship at Yola Specialist Hospital and his
National Youth Service at the State Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta, Ogun State
between 1985 and1986 respectively.
He then worked at the General Hospital, Ganye in old Gongola
State until 1991 when Taraba State was created. He joined the Taraba State
civil service as director-general of the state ministry of Agriculture and
National Resources from 1994 to 1996.
He was elected
chairman of Bali local government area of Taraba State where he held sway
between 1989 and 1993.
During the 1999 general election, he was the state chairman
of the All People’s Party (APP) when the PDP narrowly defeated the All Nigeria
People’s Party (ANPP). In 2000, he became chairman of Taraba State Investment
and Properties Ltd.
He was appointed commissioner for Education in 2001. He
worked at the ministry of Health from 2003 to 2005 before becoming Secretary to
the Taraba State Government under former governor Jolly Nyame’s administration
in between 2005 and 2007.
In the run-up to the 2007 elections, Danladi Baido won the
PDP gubernatorial primaries but was later disqualified. Two months before the
election, the PDP national secretariat replaced Baido with Suntai who did not
contest in the party primaries. Baido lent his support to Suntai and in April
2007, Suntai won election as governor of Taraba State.
During his tenure as governor of Taraba State, Suntai made
efforts to fight corruption, crime and lack of discipline, while delegating
authority and providing funds to the local government areas.
After governing for six years, the late Suntai and three of
his aides were in October 2012 involved in an air crash after their private
plane, Cessna 208 aircraft marked 5N-BMJ, crashed in Yola, the Adamawa State
capital.
The plane which he piloted hit the ground behind the NNPC
depot, along Yola-Numan Road at about 7:00pm.
Two week to his plane crash, Suntai appointed Alhaji Garba
Umar, a businessman and politician as his new deputy governor of Taraba State.
Umar’s appointment in 2013 followed the impeachment of the
former Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sani Abubakar, based on allegations of gross
misconduct levelled against him by the state lawmakers.
The late Suntai had always had a date with history.
Providence beckoned on him when he became governor of Taraba state in 2007 even
without aspiring for the coveted office. He was sworn in on May 29, 2011 for a
second term after winning the governorship election for the year.
Though a pharmacist by training, Suntai enrolled for training
as a pilot at the Nigerian College of Aviation in Zaria in 2010 and was thus
licensed, albeit under controversial circumstances, as a qualified pilot.
Before his death, Suntai was survivor of many critical
political battles.
