The acting governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar,
other state officials and residents yesterday finalised
preparations for giving returning Governor Danbaba
Suntai a heroic welcome today.
The traditional institution and various religious
organisations also joined in the preparations to receive the
governor at the Jalingo Airport, 10 months after he was
flown abroad for better medical attention. He was involved
in a helicopter crash, which he flew with some of his aides,
on October 25, 2012.
After the crash in Adamawa State, the governor was first
rushed to the National Hospital, Abuja, where he was
stabilised before he was flown to Germany and later the
United States of America.
Suntai left New York yesterday for Nigeria.
The commissioner for information, Mr Emmanuel Bello,
told LEADERSHIP Sunday last night that Governor Suntai
would arrive in Jalingo Airport at 1pm. He said he would
be received by the acting governor, state functionaries and
traditional rulers from different parts of the state.
Asked whether he would be hosted to a dinner, Bello said,
“No. There won’t be any dinner party. We are all thanking
God for his recovery.” He added that the governor would
immediately head for the Government House and not to his
residence.
Bello also disclosed that Suntai spoke with Vice President
Namadi Sambo to condole with him over the death of
business mogul Alhaji Saleh Jambo. He said Governor
Suntai told the vice president that he was eager to return to
the country and to meet him.
The commissioner said that Suntai made the call to Sambo
in the presence of the Nigerian consul in New York, Alhaji
Habib.
Security has been beefed up as military and police officers
were seen last night in some strategic locations in Jalingo,
the state capital.
Vehicles were seen moving around the town with loud
speakers chanting political songs to welcome Governor
Suntai while T-shirts and wrappers with the inscription of
the governor were distributed to women and youths
preparatory to his arrival today.
Umar, in a statement signed by his press secretary, Mr
Kefas Sule, on Friday, called on the people to come out en-
masse to welcome the governor.
The statement said the governor would arrive at Nmandi
Azikiwe Airport, Abuja at 10am today before proceeding to
Jalingo.
On the governor’s entourage are his younger brother, Mr.
Babangida Suntai and some staff members of the Nigeria
Consulate General in New York with two United States
doctors that will ensure that nothing goes wrong with him
during the flight.
A sister publication, LEADERSHIP, had exclusively reported
on Tuesday that Governor Suntai was last week certified fit
by his medical team in New York to undergo a long flight
back to Nigeria.
Governor Suntai, who departed the JF Kennedy Airport in
New York City yesterday afternoon aboard a United States
chartered flight, will arrive at the Nnamdi Azikwe
International Airport in Abuja this afternoon before
leaving for Jalingo.
In a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday, his
wife, Hajiya Hauwa, who is already in Abuja waiting for
her husband, said that there was no iota of truth in the
report that she stage-managed his return in collaboration
with some loyal commissioners.
She said that Suntai will be fit to address the people on his
return to Taraba.
An online journal had on Friday reported that efforts were
in place to make the governor wave to the people at the
airport without saying a word, but Mrs Suntai said that
there was no reason to prevent him from interacting with
the people, having spent almost 10 months abroad without
being able to speak with his people.
She added that there was no plan to delay the governor’s
return till late in the night as claimed by the online outfit.
One of the US consultants who treated Governor Suntai, Dr
Andrew Smith, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the governor
was discharged by the hospital hale and hearty. He added
that all medical examinations were duly carried out on the
governor before the decision to allow him return to Nigeria
was taken.
Although Smith confirmed that the governor had been
asking to be discharged for over three weeks, he said that it
was delayed because the medical team wanted to be sure
that he was fit to undergo the trip.
The governor had reportedly told the doctors, two weeks
ago, when he went for one of his compulsory therapies that
he was willing to return to Nigeria immediately, but the
health officials told him to wait till the end of last week for
further monitoring.
A family source told LEADERSHIP Sunday in New York on
Monday that arrangements were in top gear to ensure that
the governor’s return was open to all.
Asked why such arrangements were made, the source said
that it was to fault insinuations in Nigeria that the governor
was going to be smuggled into the country.
Our correspondent visited Suntai’s private residence in
New York from where he joined the governor, members of
his family, friends and security aides in a trip to Staten
Island where the governor’s friend, Ambassador Kennedy
Apoe, organised a 52nd birthday party in his honour.
LEADERSHIP had a brief interview with Governor Suntai
who faulted the rumours that he was mentally derailed.
He said: “I am fine (smiles). I am very fine.”
When asked if he remembered why he was brought abroad
for treatment, he replied: “Yes, a crash. They said I was
involved in a plane crash but I don’t want to talk about it
now because the memory takes me back. The doctors
advised that I should not be made to remember the
incident, but I am fine now. I am happy that I am alive to
witness today.”
Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had set up a fact-
finding committee which recently visited the governor in
New York in order to clear the air on the true state of his
health.
During the visit, the chairman of the committee, Senator
Hope Uzodinma, said: “We are impressed with what we
have seen and we thank God for that. We will take back
home what we have seen and we will inform the
leadership of the party. We are impressed; we are also
happy that the governor is recovering. We will still go back
home and relate what we have seen.”
TIMELINES OF GOVERNOR SUNTAI
OCTOBER 25, 2012
Governor Danbaba Suntai was involved in a plane crash.
The plane, a Cessna 208, 5N-BMJ, crashed at about 7.45
p.m. He was piloting the plane, which crashed near the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, depot in
Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
He was taken to Yola Specialist Hospital for treatment, but
was later moved to the better-equipped Federal Medical
Centre, Yola.
OCTOBER 26, 2012
He was flown from Yola to Nnamdi Azikiwe International
Airport, Abuja, in an air ambulance at about 12.25pm,
from where he was taken to the National Hospital, Abuja.
The injured governor was flown in air an ambulance to
Germany from Abuja. The governor was moved out of the
National Hospital, Abuja, where he was receiving treatment
at about 3:30 p.m. President Goodluck Jonathan visited the
governor at the National Hospital, where he said Suntai
was in stable condition.
NOVEMBER 14, 2012
The Taraba State House of Assembly invoked Section
190(2) of the Nigerian Constitution empowering the state’s
Deputy Governor, Garba Umar, to act as governor.
DECEMBER 13, 2012
Wife of Taraba governor, Hauwa Suntai was delivered of
twin babies in a German hospital while tendering to her
sick husband.
JANUARY 1, 2013
Pictures of ailing Taraba Governor, Danbaba Suntai,
emerged on social media with his new babies
MARCH 23,2013
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Taraba Specialist
Hospital, Prof. Zakari Aliyu, disclosed that the governor
had been moved to the John Hopkins University in the
United States.
JUNE 17, 2013
Suntai was discharged from the John Hopkins Hospital in
Maryland State, three months after he was brought to the
hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as a result of the
injuries he sustained during the October 2012 plane crash
that involved him and some of his aides in Adamawa State.
JULY 23,2013
The security aide to Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba
State, Iliya Dasat, who was involved in the October 25, 2012
air crash alongside his principal in Yola, Adamawa State,
returned to the country after being discharged from a
German hospital.
AUGUST 3, 2013
Members of the PDP Fact-finding Committee on the Taraba
State Political Situation paid solidarity visit to Gov.
Danbaba Suntai in New York, U.S.
AUGUST 21, 2013
Suntai’s wife, Hauwa, hinted of the governor’s return
today.
Source : Leadership Newspaper
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