Former Taraba state governor, Dambaba Suntai, who survived an air crash at the Yola Airport in 2012, is dead. Suntai, who was reported to have sustained brain injury in the 2012 air crash, died at his home today, Wednesday.

A former Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr. Emmanuel Bello, broke the news of the death.

Suntai became governor of Taraba state in 2007 and was sworn again on May 29, 2011 for a second term.

A pharmacist by training, Suntai enrolled for training as a pilot at the Nigerian College of Aviation in Zaria in 2010 and was thus licensed.

Prior to his plane crash in 2012, Suntai had been flown to Germany for medication after returning from his annual leave in August 2009, following a sudden ailment that was suspected to have developed from food poisoning.

On his return from Germany, Suntai spoke at the opening of a three-day regional convention of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International in Jalingo, where said his meal was actually poisoned.

He had had several successful flights with his private aircraft even while piloting the affairs of Taraba State as governor.

But his current travails started precisely on October 25, 2012, when a private plane he piloted crashed in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.

After receiving the initial treatment at the Adamawa Standard German Hospital in Yola he was later transferred to the National Hospital Abuja on October 26, 2012. From there he was flown to Germany and was later taken to a rehabilitation centre in the United States for further medication.

After 10 months of medical sojourn overseas, Danbaba Danfulani Suntai finally returned to the country on August 23, 2013.

After weeks of political intrigues in the North-East state based on claims and counterclaims over his health status, it was revealed that the former Taraba State governor was not healthy enough to live in Nigeria without adequate treatment, or to govern a state.

He was subsequently flown abroad again for treatment, even as his then deputy, Garba Umar, was empowered by the Taraba State House of Assembly to fully take over the ship of the state in acting capacity.

He was brought back in the build-up to the 2015 elections and remained confined in Jalingo until after the change of guards on May 29, 2015.

Suntai was born June 30 1961 and attended the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he studied pharmacy.

NAN. [myad]

“It is surprising that poverty grows in this country as population grows, especially in the North where you have low income families bearing score of children they cannot cater for. The more poverty that you have in a society without education, the more criminals you breed.

‘It is an eyesore and I think we have collective responsibility to solve this problem.”

These were the regrets expressed by the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who said that the rate of unemployment amongst the growing population, especially, the youths has been keeping him awake.

Dangote who spoke when a team of business executives from Lagos Business School (LBS), visited his multi-billion dollars refinery and petrochemical projects in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, said: “what keeps me awake at nights is not really the enormity of business ideas running through my mind, but it is actually high rate of unemployment in the country.”

The President of the Group stressed that the nation’s growing population should have been a blessing if the youth energy is harnessed to drive growth, but regretted that poverty increases with the population.

Dangote said that it is not the duty of government to create jobs, stressing that creation of enabling environment for entrepreneurs to thrive should be the focus of any government.

The business mogul who is Africa’s richest man said developed economies were not created by the government, but private sector which acts as drivers of growth and development.

He linked insurgency and militancy to unemployment, saying criminality would fester in a society where government does not encourage entrepreneurs to create jobs. [myad]

Former Nigeria military President, retired General Ibrahim Babangida has asked a serious question as to who wants another civil war for Nigeria after the one that claimed many lives between 1967 and 1970.

“So, who really wants to go through the depth and dimensions of another civil war in Nigeria again? Who does not know that (the first civil war) was preceded and started by intolerance and a series of hate pronouncements, hate speeches, hate conducts and actions that were inflicted upon one another by the citizens?”

General Babangida, who spoke during the prayer to mark his 75th birthday celebration at his Hilltop, Minna, Niger State residence, lamented the rising discords amongst various groups across the country.

Saying that such little discords usually grow beyond what the people imagine, Babangida said that it was exactly what happened in 1967 wwhich eventually resulted into war in which many people died while others suffered terrible injuries of human and material dimensions.

“Today, with a deep sense of nostalgia, I still carry within my body the pains of injury from the civil war: there is nothing romantic about war; in any form, war is bad, condemnable and must be avoided. I need hardly say I am very worried by the current on-going altercations and vituperations of hate across the country by individuals, well-known leaders, religious leaders, group of persons and organizations.”

Parts of his speech is reproduced here:

“Nigeria, my dear country, is not a stranger to crisis, nor is she immune to it. In a profound sense, she can be said to have been created out of crisis, a nation state that will continue to strive to subdue and transcend crises.

“In over a century of its formalized colonial architecture, Nigeria has grown and made remarkable progress in the midst of crises. The most tragic and horrendous episode in Nigeria’s history has been the 30 month civil war of July 1967 to January 1970, in which many of our compatriots lost their lives.

“Indeed, many others also suffered terrible injuries of human and material dimensions. So, who really wants to go through the depth and dimensions of another civil war in Nigeria again? Who does not know that that civil war was preceded and started by intolerance and a series of hate pronouncements, hate speeches, hate conducts and actions that were inflicted upon one another by the citizens?

“Today, with a deep sense of nostalgia, I still carry within my body the pains of injury from the civil war: there is nothing romantic about war; in any form, war is bad, condemnable and must be avoided. I need hardly say I am very worried by the current on-going altercations and vituperations of hate across the country by individuals, well-known leaders, religious leaders, group of persons and organizations.

“We need to remind ourselves that conflicts are not evidently the stuff of politics and governance, particularly so of democracy, hence we must apply caution in our utterances, body language and news reportage.

“The management of conflicts is the acid test of maturity, of mutual livelihood and of democratic governance. We cannot and we must not allow the current hate atmosphere to continue to freely pollute our political landscape unchecked.

“Personally, I reject the proceedings of hate and their dissemination and urge my fellow citizens to strongly condemn the scourge and orgy of the current crisis which, in my view, is an outcome of vengeful appetites within the multiple contexts of our democratic governance and the profound inequalities that have distorted our social relations.

“Nonetheless, it is not the place of leaderships to fuel and hype conflicts nor should we allow losers and gainers of our governance regimes to make pronouncements and threats that exploit our ethnic, religious and geopolitical construct.

“Democracy, anywhere in the world, is a work in progress; and one that is subject to constant evolution and debate. The drums of war are easy to beat, but their rhythms are difficult to dance. Starting wars or political upheavals comes with the slightest provocation, but ending them becomes inelastic, almost unending with painful footages of the wrecks of war.

“I have been involved and its ripples are tellingly unpalatable, with gory details of destruction and carnage. I am a Nigerian, a citizen, patriot and concerned stakeholder. It is my strong belief that Nigeria can attain greater greatness if we all nurture our minds in the direction of building a nation, and accepting responsibility for its successes and failures.

“We cannot deny or repudiate our progress at nation-building in spite of the limitations and challenges that we have continued to experience. As a people, we need a proper study and understanding of our history in order to correct the warped perceptions of our past so as to minimize the dangers of badly skewed stories of our democratic experience in governance; and to regenerate mutual confidence and uphold the tenets of living together as one country.

“No one government or administration can provide all the answers to the myriad of problems and challenges confronting us as a country; no matter how determined, resolute, committed and motivated such a government is.

“The citizens have their roles to play, and their obligations to fulfill in order to motivate government in achieving its stated goals and objectives. Governance is a function of the leadership and the followership.

“It is a two-way traffic that demands certain responsibilities from those involved. Of late, Nigeria has become so sharply divided with emotions running high on the least provocations. Once tempers are that high, the fault-lines become easily visible and with the slightest prompting, the unexpected can happen.

“But I want to believe that Nigerians are still their reasonable selves’, highly endowed in various skills and intellectually empowered to compete anywhere in the global arena.

“As a Nigerian, I have had the rare privilege to benefit from robust relationships from different people across the socio-political divide; East, West, North and South. I have also immensely interacted with persons from all the numerous tribes, cultures and ethnic configurations dotted across the entire gamut of Nigeria’s expansive lands. I have made friends, built alliances, nurtured relationships and sustained linkages amongst Nigerians of all shades and opinions.

“In fairness, Nigerians are great people. In those hours, moments and duration of friendship and camaraderie, no one talks about origin, geopolitical zones or even states. The issue of religion does not dictate the flow of discourse. We deal with ourselves based on our character and content, and not the sentiments of what part of the country we hail from.

“The inalienable fact that Nigerians can live in any part of the country to pursue their legitimate aspirations is a strong indication that we have accepted to invest in the Nigerian project, and are no longer driven by mutual suspicion but mutual respect.

“That we have not fully realized our potentials as a great nation is not enough reason for us to want to demolish the foundation of our nationhood or rubbish the labours of our heroes past; both of which are borne out of our collective efforts to build a truly great nation, and great people.

“If we have repeatedly done certain things and not getting the desired results, we need to change tactics and approach, and renew our commitment. It is our collective responsibilities to engender a reform that would be realistic and in sync with modern best practices.

“For example, restructuring has become a national appeal as we speak, whose time has come. I will strongly advocate for devolution of powers to the extent that more responsibilities be given to the states while the Federal Government is vested with the responsibility to oversee our foreign policy, defense, and economy.

“Even the idea of having Federal Roads in towns and cities has become outdated and urgently needs revisiting. That means we need to tinker with our constitution to accommodate new thoughts that will strengthen our nationality.

“Restructuring and devolution of powers will certainly not provide all the answers to our developmental challenges; it will help to reposition our mindset as we generate new ideas and initiatives that would make our union worthwhile. The talk to have the country restructured means that Nigerians are agreed on our unity in diversity; but that we should strengthen our structures to make the union more functional based on our comparative advantages. Added to this desire is the need to commence the process of having State Police across the states of the Federation.

“This idea was contained in my manifesto in 2010 when I attempted to contest the presidential elections. The initial fears that State Governors will misuse the officers and men of the State Police have become increasingly eliminated with renewed vigour in citizens’ participation in, and confidence to interrogate power.

“We cannot be detained by those fears and allow civilization to leave us behind. We must as a people with one destiny and common agenda take decisions for the sake of posterity in our shared commitment to launch our country on the path of development and growth.

“Policing has become so sophisticated that we cannot continue to operate our old methods and expect different results. I also want to appeal to the Nigeria media to be more circumspect in their news reportage.

“They should always weigh the security implications of the contents of their news and the screaming headlines that stare us in the face every day, especially at this fragile period of our political emanations. The media play an important and remarkable role in shaping the flow of discourse.

“Their level of influence is also not in doubt, but as the fourth estate of the realm, it has a greater responsibility to moderate public discourse in a manner that will cement inter- and intra-cultural relationships.

“If Nigeria works, it benefits all her citizens; if it fails, it hurts all her citizens too. The media should be patriotic in its present engagements to berth a new Nigeria of our dreams. On a final note, I really wish we see strength, determination, commitment and confidence in our diversities rather than adversities.

“As a heterogeneous country with flourishing skills and numerous endowments, we should dictate the pace in Africa and lead by example of what is possible amongst a people that are focused and determined to pursue common national goal.

“As a former Military President who had the rare privilege to travel around Africa to sustain the African cooperation through peace-keeping operations, I have come to the conclusion that nations are driven by a common ideal and not by the homogeneity of their race. I saw Somalia, such a homogeneous conclave yet one of the most troubled countries in Africa today.

“I saw South Sudan, which broke away from the old Sudan, but peace and stability have eluded them. Rwanda genocidal experience is not romantic either. But a President from the minority ethnic group has repositioned the country to assume its pride of place in the comity of nations.

“That a people share common identity, language, history, doctrine, culture, mores and values is not synonymous with development, growth, stability and peace. When we went into peace-keeping operations in Sierra Leone, Somalia, Liberia and Congo, we had in mind to sustain oneness in Africa even though we are a continent of different countries all bearing different logos and identities.

“Our motivation was simply that we are Africans. I am therefore appealing to the sensibilities of all of us, young and old, leaders and followers, groups and organizations, that in the interest of peace and stability of our country, we need to sheathe the sword. At 76, I have seen it all. I have seen war. I have fought war.

“And I have survived war, even though I still suffer the pains and injuries of war, it is part of the selfless sacrifice to keep the union afloat. We must build a country that is forward looking for our children and future generations of Nigerians.

“We cannot afford to toil with the destinies of the 170million Nigerians by the shape of our discourse and the content of our interaction. We must carry out conscious attitudinal orientation that will change the mindset of our youths and the held beliefs of the elderly.

“We must explore the therapies of dialogue and constructive engagements in our desire to make life more meaningful for our people. My friends cut across all regions, zones and states. I am proud to be a Nigerian because I see hope in the youthful population of Nigerians. I see remarkable skills and raw talents that can stimulate enterprise and innovations.

“This is the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan, a month in which Muslim faithful have dedicated their lives to seek closeness to God, and forgiveness of their inequities. It is a month of penance; a month of prayer for physical, moral and spiritual rejuvenation, regeneration and rebirth. I urge my countrymen and women to use the occasion to look ahead with hope and renewed dedication to the service of our country.” [myad]

The embattled Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has confessed that he demanded bullets and guns from a group of US-based Nigerians to defend Igbos from the Fulani herdsmen that often launched attacks on them.

Kanu, who insisted that self-defense is recognized by all known laws at the United Nations (UN), said: “I am sure you have heard of the Fulani herdsmen killing people all over the place. How do you intend to defend yourself against Fulani herdsmen without guns and bullets?”

The new hero of the Igbo nation, speaking in an interview with Adrian Kriesch of German TV station – Deustche Welle, said: “they (the Fulani herdsmen) have been killing our people, raping our women, destroying crops in the farms and no one does anything about it. Is that how human beings are supposed to live?

“Self-defense is recognized even by all the known laws at the UN. We are fighting for independence, not fighting physically with guns and bullets. We are fighting in terms of our agitations; we are fighting in terms of our belief; we are fighting in terms of our consistency to ensure that we free, because we are not free.

“As a free people, we can afford to make life better for our people. Right now, we cannot do that because of how Nigeria is structured and because of the flawed foundation Nigeria rests.”

On the referendum, he said: “if the government does not agree to that, there will be no elections in Biafra land. No more elections here.

“They can put whoever they like in office. They can do whatever they like with their political positions. We will not engage in any political process.”

On his detention, he said: “I was not treated fairly because in Nigeria, people behave like animals; they are not disciplined enough; they are not mentally developed enough to run a transparent civil society.

“They have a fiddle mindset where you have the ruling class and a multitude of poverty-stricken people who never utters any word in rebeliion or to even ask questions about their plight.

“That is one thing we are determined to challenge.”
He concluded by saying: “what we are asking the world to recognize is that we want to live in peace and not in pieces. Allow Biafra to exist. We were existing before the British came. Just allow us to go back to what we were before.

“No African came to Europe to create countries. So, for somebody to just come in here and say ‘you, you, you, and you from today your name is Nigeria’ is simply laughable.” [myad]

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has distanced the state, which is within the South South zone, from the agitation for the Republic of Biafra. He rather stressed the need for Nigeria to remain as one, indivisible and united nation.

Governor Wike, who was at Palace of the Sultan of Sokoto with a high-powered delegation of traditional rulers and leaders of thought from Rivers on a sallah visit, said that every nation in the world has its peculiar challenges and that the onus on the leaders of Nigeria is to find lasting solutions to the various challenges confronting the nation.

He said that there are better ways to solve the agitations and problems facing Nigeria than a pandering towards a break up.

“Rivers state and its people believe in the oneness and unity of Nigeria and that is our stand. In Sokoto, we have a father in the Sultan. In fact, he is a father to all Nigerians and he is a peace builder in this country and beyond.

“I have also been friends with Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal since before his emergence as a Speaker of the House of Representatives and this will be sustained despite the fact that we belong to different political parties.”

Governor Tambuwal, who accompanied Wike, had earlier said that the visit came at a better time even as he restated his belief in the unity of Nigeria.

The governor said the visit would help to strengthen the bond of unity between the two states.

This was even as Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar said that the ongoing agitations in the country are symptoms of rot in the Nigerian system, adding that a lot of things had gone wrong in the past.

“A lot of things were done in the past by some people with impunity and nothing was done. That is why you find shortage of good governance now weighing us down in the country. However, as it is now, no matter how bad your hand is, you cannot cut it and throw away.”

The Sultan stressed the need to adopt dialogue to resolve all the misunderstandings and problems in the country, saying that Nigerians should sit together, brain storm, look at what went wrong, retrace their steps and move forward.

He appealed to statesmen in the nation to wade in this direction.

“We are not short of statesmen across Nigeria and they should help the country by championing the dialogue.”

Those in Wike’s entourage include former Rivers Governor Celestine Omehia, former Acting National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secundus, former NBA President OCJ Okocha, Chairman of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers and Amanayabo of Opobo Kingdom, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja, Amanayabo og Abonnema, King Gbobo Bob-Manuel and Oda of Abua, King Kelly Obunge, among others. [myad]