by SUNNY IDACHABA

Death came knocking and succeeded in snatching away one of Taraba state’s best at a time when he was full of ideas to turn the state around. Although gone into eternity, his legacies live on. SUNNY IDACHABA writes on the life and times of this ex-governor.

Danbaba Danfulani Suntai was the governor of Taraba state between 2007 and 2015, but was involved in a fatal air crash near Yola Airport in Adamawa state during his second tenure in 2012; an incident that decapitated him from that time till the end of his administration and ultimately the rest of his life. 

Even though he remained in power throughout his last tenure despite his medical incapacitation, he finally died in 2017, two years after he left office because the internal injuries he sustained from the crash were fatal. A trained pharmacist-turned-politician, Suntai also attended the School of Aviation Zaria, where he trained to become a pilot; that was why he personally flew himself in a helicopter that unfortunately took his life. His journey into politics, especially as governor can be summed up as an act of God because he got the nod for that position on the platter of gold since he was never near the political arrangements that could fetch him the number one position in the state, but fate bestowed upon him. 



Before becoming governor, he had, however, worked in the state civil service and held political appointments during the military regimes and the new democratic administration from 1999 under Rev. Jolly Nyame.

In the 1999 General Election, Suntai was in the All People’s Party (APP) as its state chairman when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) narrowly defeated the newly formed All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP). That is why it is convenient to say that it was therefore the hand of fate that threw him up to become governor a few years later. For instance, when the race for the 2007 General Election was in top gear, another candidate, Danladi Baido of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the party’s gubernatorial primaries to stand as candidate for the election. As the party that controlled the government at the centre and in many states then, it was not difficult for it to retain power anywhere.

But just before Baido could savour the joy of winning the primaries, he was disqualified on account of a purported list of persons with corruption charges against them as compiled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and forwarded to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in which his name appeared. Most probably as a result of this, his name was replaced with that of Suntai who was more of a stranger in the PDP family then.

At that point, Baido, though an anointed candidate of Governor Nyame, lost out. So, he had no choice but to lend his support to Suntai, the anointed candidate. Subsequently, Suntai won the election as Taraba state governor in 2007. 

Legacies

As governor, he made efforts to fight corruption, crimes and indiscipline in the state. Under him too, local government administrations were not jeopardised, unlike in many states today, as he initiated reforms to make local administration more transparent. Among other effects of his administration were that the monthly pension bill dropped from N33 million to N22 million, while pensioners began to get more, regular payments to the delight of many. 

In October 2009, he initiated moves for religious and moral teachings to be taught in schools to reduce juvenile delinquencies, crimes and other vices especially as religious riots were so rife in parts of the state as, according to him, “My administration is strongly behind the Christian and Islamic faiths since both religions preach peace, love and unity.”


Just before the end of his first tenure, he commissioned a N540 million computerised stone-crushing and asphalt plant to provide road building materials to be operated on a commercial basis as a benefit for the state, but matters of his failing health prevented him from driving the project to fruition.

Writing about Suntai, an activist, Fisayo Soyombo, said there are two extremes of remembering Governor Suntai and whichever anyone chooses is a reflection of the person’s psychological attitude.

“It is possible and quite justifiably so to remember Suntai as that former governor of Taraba state who killed himself after a self-piloted aircraft that crashed in Adamawa, Yola state, in October 2012, and never recovered till his death. It is also possible to remember him as one of the luckiest humans to grace the country’s political scene without winning his party’s governorship primary; yet, he ended up becoming a governor. Not only that, the winner of that primary surrendered the ticket to him and went on to back him with his political types of machinery. It’s all your choice whichever of the two stories you want to remember.”




According to Soyombo, following the air crash, Suntai fizzled out of the limelight after leaving office.

“Candidly put, after ‘the office left him’, he started to struggle with funding for his expensive overseas treatment; however, one thing he never lacked was his wife’s attention. On February 14, 2017, photos of his wife with him in hospital surfaced online. Two things the photos succeeded in proving was that the wheelchair-ridden Suntai was so frail and apparently neurologically unwell and had lost so much colour and fervour that if his wife could still present him an ‘I Love You’ card, then she truly loves him,” Soyombo said.


For his former information commissioner, Emmanuel Bello, “The death of Suntai is shocking, painful and ultimately one of the saddest moments of our history. We still feel terribly bad because of his legacies and what he stood for as a person and as governor.”

In the same vein, a former deputy president of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, described Suntai’s death as an “incalculable loss” to the country. In a statement through his special adviser on media, Uche Anichukwu, he said Suntai gave a good account of himself as a politician and party man.

“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.

“He was a leader who loved his people; he gave a good account of himself as a politician, public administrator, man of peace, 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 said.

The political party (PDP) under which he served also mourned him. Its then state chairman, Victor Bala, said his death was a great loss.

According to him, “He carried everyone along irrespective of their religious, political or ethnic affiliations.”

Bala said his name would be written in gold as a peaceful and hard-working governor who brought great developments to the state during his six years as governor through his political maturity in handling the affairs of the state.

For Archbishop Emmanuel Jato of the Faith Hill Prophetic Assembly, Abuja, Suntai’s death was avoidable if he had heeded divine counsel.

Jato said, “God showed it to me that disaster was imminent to the life of Danbaba Suntai. God specifically asked me to tell him to refrain from flying himself because of the uncertain politically cloudy atmosphere in the state. I packaged the message to him through the Taraba state government Liaison Office in Asokoro since I couldn’t reach him personally in Jalingo from Abuja. He got the message but ignored it saying that he too can hear from God. If only he took the message seriously, he would have been here today.”

For the political limelight of Taraba state, Suntai came, and saw, but fate would not allow him to conquer all despite his lofty dreams, but his few legacies live on as one of the unforgotten heroes of our time.