Danbaba Suntai was
not a rich man before he became the Governor of Taraba State in the North
Eastern part of Nigeria in May 2007. In fact, he rode to the Government House in a 1986
jalopy Honda car that had seen better
days. Danbaba lived in an unfenced 2-bedroom apartment,
having spent the better parts of the decade running from prosecution over a fertiliser scam that
he perpetuated, and the State Government was looking for him to face
prosecution.
Somehow, he joined
politics and when former president Obasanjo kicked against Danladi Baido as the
PDP candidate, the then Governor of Taraba, Jolly Nyame wanted someone he could
control, so he quickly pardoned Danbaba and drafted him as the PDP candidate.
Today, Danbaba has spent his first term and finished the first year of the
second term.
Danbaba
Suntai's love for aircraft and flying is however the reason for this expose, and how
this obsession has run the state
aground.
By the time Danbaba got to power, the State had two aircraft parked in Kaduna since the irport in Jalingo,
the state capital was not conducive. Danbaba therefore wanted a better airport,
and he blew about 9billion Naira on the
airport, yet, it still could not land
small planes talk less of ommercial
ones.
In his first term, governor Danbaba acquired another small aircraft for the
State. By last year he
had added a
second, but none of them can land in the
state.
The latest gist however is the acquisition of
a helicopter at the cost of over
1billion Naira last month by the Governor.
According to our
findings, the State held a fishing festival at Ibbi town about two
months back, and during the festival, the governor hired an helicopter which took him to the
fishing festival. After the festival, he pleaded with the pilot to spend more time in the
state to teach him how to fly the chopper.
Before then, we learnt that, Danbaba had spent quality time despite his tight schedule as governor, attending the Aviation
College in Jos, as well as another training school in America to learn how to
fly. So after the fishing festival,
Governor Danbaba took delivery of the helicopter.
According to sources, he has built a helipad
inside the Government House so that he could fly the chopper out and in by
himself, without having to drive through the town of Jalingo. We gathered that
ever since he took delivery of the helicopter, Danbaba had been flying it
himself, at times, just for leisure and sightseeing in the state capital.
To those who live
around the Government House, they could only but grumble over the noise from the Governor's take off and
landing. We were told that since he brought in the helicopter, Governor Danbaba
hardly travels round the State in his official cars, preferring the chopper
Meanwhile, the
state is reeking in bankruptcy as the Governor has taken loans from banks to
build airstrips in his village, plus the three aircarft he bought as well as keeping the Jalingo
airstrip functional.
Based on this, once the state allocation get
to the banks, the financial institutions
deduct their loans before leaving whatever that remains for the government. Because of
this, the day to day government business is run based on new loans from banks.
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