TARABA: The Real Situation of Danbaba Suntai By GEORGE ONMONYA DANIEL How long will the family of Danbaba Suntai, the brain damaged governor of Taraba State, continue to lie to the people of Taraba State and the nation? Danbaba Suntai’s condition is critical. “He starts talking to you then drifts off from the issue,” confided sources who have been going to see the governor regularly. Inside sources whisper here and there that the man does not show signs of improvement and recovery, but no one is willing to tell the family of Suntai the truth, especially Mrs. Suntai who desperately wants her husband back as governor whether he is capable or not. We are all witness to the drama of how they brought the man back from a United States hospital where he was receiving treatment after the plane he was piloting crash landed on the airstrip in Jalingo, knowing fully that the man is incapacitated they plotted to install him as governor after muscling the acting governor to step down. It was simply something out of a cheap Nollywood drama. Hollywood would throw such script away into the garbage as it seems unbelievable and unrealistic, but then we are the country of Nollywood and Kannywood, and unbelievable are our stories. As outrageous as the Suntai situation is, some people are taking side with the Suntai people just because they don’t want a Muslim governor in Taraba State, but that’s another story. From what has happened so far in Taraba State, it is obvious that Suntai may not fully recover. From the images they try to package on TV and pictures on the social media, people they try to mobilise here and there to blackmail the acting governor and now ‘silence’, it is very clear that they have accepted their fate somehow but still hoping the man will miraculously become normal. This is a country of miracle where pastors, imams and babalawo tell you to believe and have hope in every situation. They will not, however, advise you to use your common sense. Governor Danbaba Suntai needs to resign as Taraba State Governor. The wife and the family owe him that at least. He needs to rest and take care of his health problems. Politics is not a do or die affairs. When people have no shame but all they care about is money they put themselves in this Suntai’s situation. This whole Suntai tragi-comdey is all about who control the bank account of Taraba State. It is shameful to see that elders, traditional leaders, pastors, youth leaders, opinion leaders, legal practitioners, student leaders and even the press have kept mute on this issue after a short while. This country will never change if we never tell ourselves the truth and accept the truth. And the truth is that Governor Danbaba Suntai should just resign peacefully. From what I see, from the body language from Danbaba Suntai’s camp, they are willing to go all the way down to election year in Taraba State. They are not willing to give up. In this superstitious nation of spiritualists and pastors and imams who don’t tell you the truth as the truth is, I don’t see them giving up easily. When people do not know shame and do not understand history and legacies to be left for posterity, they do all sorts of things. I understand Christians are not comfortable with a Muslim governor of Taraba State. Our politicians have made it so. When a Muslim becomes governor he makes other Muslims rich and influential, likewise Christians. Religion politics in Northern Nigeria has become a serious problem and is playing out as we can all see if this Danbaba Suntai situation. We should be able to separate religion from the State. Religion hasn’t done much for Nigeria but trouble. Until we separate religion from the state completely we will never get out of the Taraba State imbroglio. What happened during the time of Umar Musa Yar’dua is still fresh in our minds. -GEORGE O. DANIEL
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 10:49:56 +0000
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