Suntai: We’re sidelined, family cries out

The family of the ailing governor of Taraba state, Mr Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, have raised an alarm that the state and the federal governments have side-lined them in the handling of their son’s health crisis.
The spokesman of the family, who is an aged uncle of the governor, Alhaji Sule M. Suntai, disclosed this to Blueprint in his house in Suntai village, saying they are kept in the dark about the whole matter, as no government is briefing them on developments regarding the governor’s health.
Governor Suntai was piloting a small Cessna Grand Caravan C208 aeroplane on October 25, 2012 when it crashed in the bush eight nautical miles from the Yola airport in Adamawa state, critically injuring him and five of his aides.
Suntai was flown to Germany for medical treatment after spending two days at the National Hospital, Abuja.
He has been staying there ever since, with speculations being made about the seriousness of his health condition.
Suntai’s deputy was sworn in as acting governor a few days after the incident.
According to Suntai’s uncle, since their relation’s plane crash, no official of government at any level has deemed it fit to inform them officially about the incident or his state of health so far.
He, however, commended Senator Emmanuel Bwacha for being the only person from government that visited the family, albeit not as a government official but as his friend, and promised them that he was going to travel abroad to visit their ailing son.
Alhaji Sule also lamented that even the governor’s loyalists who used to flood their house with gifts have since turned their back on them.
He described the attitude of the acting governor of the state, Alhaji Garba Umar, towards the family as more shocking. According to him, Umar never thought he would be in government but their son gave him the privilege, “but just like every other person he also turned his back on us.”
When our correspondent visited Suntai village, most projects sited in the village were at a standstill. As a result, the usual booming of businesses in the area has become a thing of the past.