Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State
on Sunday afternoon arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport,
Abuja after spending about 10 months abroad for treatment for injuries
sustained when a small aircraft he piloted crashed.
The governor, who left Nigeria for
Germany in October, was supported on his right and left arms by aides
while disembarking from a chartered Gulfstream aircraft with
registration number G4 at the domestic wing of the airport.
The aircraft touched down on the
tarmac at about 12.41pm and the governor was immediately driven to the
VIP lounge of the airport in a Toyota Land Cruiser.
At the lounge, he sat between two men
before he proceeded to Jalingo, the Taraba State capital where two
advance aircraft marked N224BA and 5NBMR were already on the ground.
Suntai was visibly weak and could not
speak, but his associates told journalists that the long haul flight
from the United States where he had the last phase of his treatment,
made him tired.
He was shielded from responding to questions from journalists by heavily armed security personnel.
But a personal friend to Suntai, Mr.
John Dara, said, “I am fully in the picture in all the arrangements for
his return and we are really excited to see him back. What is clear is
that after the long haul flight from the US, he is obviously weak and
tired.
“But we are thrilled by the fact that he
recognised each of us and called us by our names. This shows that he is
mentally alert and this is an indication that he is capable of running
the affairs of the state as governor.”
On why he was prevented from speaking
with journalists, Dara said, “Normally, talking to press can be
spontaneous and can be organised; but we felt that when he has rested
well, it will be easier for him to address the press logically.”
Another associate of the governor and a
former of member Niger Delta Development Commission board , Mr. Rima
Shawulu, said that Suntai would commence work in earnest.
He said, “We have no doubt in our minds
that when he gets to Jalingo later today (Sunday), it will be whether he
will resume today or in a couple of days from now. But he is clearly
okay and able to function.
“It is what the doctors report says
about him that should be followed. When I met him in Germany in
February, he did not look like somebody that had lost his senses. We
discussed. He told me things and asked me to do some things for him
which I did.”
A board member of the Peoples Democratic
Party, Prof. Jerry Gana, who was part of a Peoples Democratic Party
team that welcomed the governor, also told journalists that Suntai was
strong enough to start work.
He said, “We thank God for his safe
arrival and he is hale and hearty as you can see. We give God the glory
that he has returned to start work as governor in his state.”
Suntai arrived Jalingo around 3.45pm
aboard another chartered aircraft marked 5N-12Y amid tight security and
cheers by government officials, his friends and sympathisers.
Before he alighted from the plane, his
wife, Hauwa, first entered to greete him and then his deputy, Alhaji
Garba Umar, who ran the affairs of the state in acting capacity.
When Umar came out of the aircraft,
Suntai emerged, this time, assisted by his wife, who led him into an
unmarked marooned Range Rover Sports HSE.
The Range Rover –Sports HSE made
straight for the governor’s lodge in Jalingo with the ailing governor
waving to the people that had gathered to welcome him.
Some of them were heard shouting “ya dawo”, meaning ‘he has come’ while others were saying “shi ne”, meaning ‘he is the one.’
Security chiefs in the state, including
the commissioner of police and the director of the State Security
Services were cited at the lodge but it was unclear if they were able
to see the governor, whom doctors asked to observe a 72 hour-bed
rest
Meanwhile, Plateau State Governor has dismissed rumours that he financed Suntai’s return.
The Commissioner for Information and
Communication, Mr. Abraham Yiljap, told our correspondent in Jos that
Jang didn’t have to do so since the government and people of his
state were capable of financing his return.
He said, “Governor Jang did not have to
shoulder the financial responsibility for his return as the government
of Taraba and people and people of good will were very capable of
undertaking the operation; after all he (Suntai ) is a sitting governor.
Abraham said that Jang was happy that the governor was back in the country.
He added, “Jang prayed and visited him
in Germany when he was first taken. He encourages him and he (Jang)
will continue to support him in any way to fulfill God’s plan and
purpose in his life.
“His return gives Jang a feeling of
exhilaration. Being back in the presence of his people will offer him
the perfect atmosphere for complete healing.”
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