Taraba: Playing Games With Suntai’s True State Of Health SATURDAY, 15 JUNE 2013 00:00 FROM CHARLES AKPEJI, JALINGO FEATURES - POLICY & POLITICS User Rating: / 0 PoorBest HAD Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai heeded the counsel of the officers of the State Security Service (SSS) and other security operatives within and outside the state, as well as some personalities, including family members to stop piloting himself in his aircraft while in office, the present confusion in the state due to his long absence from duty would not have arisen. His absence has led to the fragmentation of the once united ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has now been fragmented into factions, with adherents of the two major religions throwing their weights behind their faithful with governorship aspirations in 2015. Even PDP national secretariat’s effort to enquire into Suntai’s health hit the rock, following a court order stopping a committee it set up to do so from going ahead. This is just as new photographs of the governor continue to circulate and rumour of alleged plans to ‘smuggle’ him into the state make the rounds, causing further uncertainty and apprehension among the people. Unlike other parts of the country, where religion plays dominant roles in politics, Tarabans, irrespective of religion differences, often queued behind the candidates of their choice in any election. What is, however, presently giving the people sleepless night is the continued refusal of government officials, including the Acting Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, to make public the present and actual health condition of the governor, who was recently transferred from Germany to John Hopkins Hospital in the United States (US), in spite of the constant visits to him. Their continuous silence about his true state of health has led to speculations, especially on the alleged plans by some top government officials to ‘smuggle’ him (Suntai) into the state in a chartered aircraft. Whether the plans are true or not, keen followers of events in the state have criticised the state government and the Presidency for deliberately keeping Tarabans and Nigerians in the dark over the matter. “Frankly speaking, the acting governor and the Presidency have to be blamed for the speculations going on now, because if they had deemed it fit to go on air and make the governor’s health condition known to the public, things would not have been like this,” one stakeholder told The Guardian. A political analyst, Buba Hamad, further observed that the plans to secretly smuggle him back to the state will failed, except the Presidency is in support of it. He added: “Of course, I am very much confident that President Goodluck Jonathan would not allow that. “If it were possible, they would have as well done that to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua by smuggling him back to Aso Rock. “Since that was not achieved, Suntai’s own would as well hit the rock.” Also commenting on the issue, a PDP chieftain, Danjuma Mungal, warned those plotting to smuggle in the governor to desist, as “every Taraban knows that the man is sick.” Wondering why they are preventing the ailing governor from speaking to the public, he said: “They should have allowed him to speak to the public, if they actually mean what they have being feeding the people. “Bringing him back to the state is not the problem, but can he actually perform his functions, if they go ahead and execute their plans?” As the plans continue to generate controversies in the state, security operatives, are not taking any chance, as they remain on red alerts to forestall any act of lawlessness. The alleged plans fly in Suntai unheralded unnoticed, according to the leadership of the Save Taraba Group (STG), does not appear to be bothering the people. Speaking to The Guardian in a telephone chat, state coordinator of the group, Alhaji Rasa Umar, said: “We are not worried about their going ahead to smuggle him into the state, but the question is whether he will be fit to carry out his constitutional assignments. “Tarabans, I bet you, will not entertain that, because you don’t expect us, after eight months of his absence from office, to just be smuggle in and yet nothing positive comes out of him. “We are all aware that the man is still sick. Forget about the pictures they recently displayed on Facebook and the video clips they showed on the screen of the National Television Authority (NTA) and other television stations. “If he is actually fit to continue, as they claimed, why did they not allow us to hear his voice? Why is it that it is only a few of them that he has being communicating with, as they claimed?” He added: “I am very much certain that if the governor is hale and hearty, as they claimed, we would have being hearing his conversations on daily bases from the US through communication technologies.” Umar, who could not imagine why top government officials that ought to be trustworthy are now the ones feeding the people with “false information,” in spite of their promise to engage the governor in a teleconference with the press. It was gathered that the alleged plans to fly in the ailing governor are being done without the knowledge of the family members. “The only thing I can tell you is that we, the family members, are hearing the rumour just like any member of the public. Nobody cared to consult us,” said a member of his family, who did not want his name in print. He added: “Most of those government officials that claimed they loved our brother are only paying lips service, because since the crash, many of them have not taken the pain to visit his people in Suntai village. “They plan to bring him back because they still believe that with him on ground, they will still benefit a lot from the government. “So, don’t mind them; they are trying to fight for their personal gains and not for the interest of the state.” Unlike reports emanating from top government officials that Suntai would soon be discharged, the family member said: “Like I told you, they are fighting for their own interest. As far as we are concerned, we have no knowledge about his medical condition. “We saw the pictures they have being displaying on social media, but as far as I am concerned, he has not spoken with any of us on telephone. “So, I cannot comment on his health status. It is what we are reading on papers that we are working with, because no single government official has ever deemed it fit to come and brief the family on the development. “You know why I don’t want my name to be mentioned? Because I believe the truth must be told. “If really he is yet to recover, why should they be planning to bring him back?” He went on: “Those behind such evil plans don’t have the interest of the family and the state at heart, because bringing him home unfit is to further compound his health condition and cause further problems in the state. “If they seek for our opinions, we are going to tell them pointblank to let him remain there and continue with his medication. His health is what is paramount to us now and not the position he is occupying.” The family member expressed support for those against smuggling him into the state, saying he will not encourage that because it might lead the people to something else. According to him: “If they are convinced that he is hale and hearty and can carry on his official work, why won’t they bring him for us. “On the other hand, if there are plans to bring him back to humiliate the state and the family, they should allow him to continue with his medication, so that the people will continue to pray for his recovery.” Though the people are eager to see their governor back in the state, but many of them threatened to take to the streets should he be brought unceremoniously when he is not fit enough to carry out his functions. “They should not bring him only end up keeping him indoors, thereby preventing the people from seeing him. “This is because with the rumors we are hearing, the man is not yet fit to perform his function. It is better for them to leave him with his doctors there than bring him back and cause crisis for us,” one of them stated. A lecturer in one of the tertiary institutions said it is just a matter of time, saying the true picture would soon be made public to the people. “I believe in the saying of James Hardly Chase that ‘it is just a matter of time.’ After all, his tenure will be coming to an end soon. “Before the commencement of political activities next year, we shall all have the true picture of his health. “They may think that they are fooling Tarabans now, but at the end, they will be the fools. I don’t know what benefits they are deriving from peddling lies about his health.” Meanwhile, a pressure group, known as Taraba Justice Forum recently accused the acting governor of collaborating with the wife of the ailing governor, Hauwa, and other prominent Tarabans to deceive the people. In a statement signed by its secretary, Abulus John, the group called for the immediate application of Section 189 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. They accused the acting governor of hiding under the guise of loyalty to deceive the public, saying: “The public deserved to know the true situation regarding his health, especially as public funds are being spent on the governor. “Why is Umar playing along with those trying to stop the state from moving forward? Why is he joining them in lying to the public?” But the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Emmanuel Bello, could not fathomed why some people continue to compare the governor’s health condition with that of Yar’Adua. He stated that it is mischievous and downright evil to do so, “as our culture advises respect for the dead,” adding: “In the current situation, there is no basis for such comparison at all.” In the same vein, the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Matters, Mr. Sylvanus Giwa, described as unfounded, the rumour of plans to ‘smuggle’ the governor into the state. He urged those peddling such rumour to as a matter of urgency, desist from it, as no such plans was being hatched. For now, the waiting game for the return or confirmation of the true state of health of Suntai continues in Taraba State.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 06:30:14 +0000
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