Suntai: why commonsense must prevail

In so many respects, the “I have a dream” speech delivered more than half a century ago in the shadow of the imposing stature of Abraham Lincoln by the late Martin Luther King Jr. provides a fitting metaphor for my interrogation of the tragic events being currently playing out in Taraba state, where the dramatis-personae […]

In so many respects, the “I have a dream” speech delivered more than half a century ago in the shadow of the imposing stature of Abraham Lincoln by the late Martin Luther King Jr. provides a fitting metaphor for my interrogation of the tragic events being currently playing out in Taraba state, where the dramatis-personae appear to be trapped in a crisis of succession, that is clearly reminiscent of the sordid events that preceded the Senate’s infamous invocation of the ‘doctrine of necessity’ to rescue the nation from the brink of constitutional crises not too long ago.
Back then, and just as it is presently in Taraba state, we had an ailing President Umar Musa YarÁdua, who, like Danbaba Suntai in Taraba state, was clearly incapable of executing the rigorous functions for which he was voted into office.
Back then, just like what is currently unfolding in Taraba today, a faceless cabal went about the shameless task of concealing the facts on the true health status of the President from the very Nigerians who elected him with the obvious intention of delaying the inevitable, which was the recourse to constitutional provisions prescribed for such an eventuality as imperfect as they may have been at the material time.
In both cases the ruthless cabals were clearly motivated by narrow and selfish interests which were at odds with aspirations of the constituencies their principals represented. They had become used to certain ways of life and privileges which could no longer be guaranteed if their principals were removed. Their continued relevance depended on the longevity in office of their victims.
And there is no other way to describe both Suntai and the late YarÁdua in the context of the unfolding events in Taraba state. Yar’Adua was very much the victim of the cabal that went to great lengths to prolong his days ‘in office’ even when he was already on a life support system.
And no one who has had the misfortune of seeing any of the video clips of Governor Suntai since he was smuggled back into the country after his last medical expedition to England could have failed to sympathize with the man and his family for the unnecessary damage being inflicted on his image by the not-so-faceless desperadoes.
In the two clips I have seen, the once amiable governor of whom I have heard so many nice things said when he was in good health, appeared much like a punch-drunk boxer in advanced stages of senility. I never knew the Governor, but it breaks my heart that he was made to go through all those motions to prove a futile point.
In the end, he appeared every inch like a child, or a great grandfather, very much in need of the care and attention of the people closest to him. Except in the warped imagination of those who stood to profit from his unmistakable tragedy, Suntai did not appear to be in the right mental state to attend to his individual basic needs, talk less of the rigorous task of resuming work as the Executive Governor of his state. And that is exactly why Dr. King’s speech, which has gone down in history as one of the greatest ever delivered, is so instructive even today.
I am told that the only reason why Suntai has been made to experience so much public indignity is because of the ethnic and religious identity of the man who stands to be made the substantive governor if he is eventually removed from office on the grounds of incapacitation.  
Alhaji Garba Umar has been the Acting Governor of the state since the unfortunate plane crash that severely injured the governor. He had been Deputy Governor to Suntai for barely three weeks before his principal embarked on the ill-fated flight. But sadly, because of the primitive recourse to ethnic and religious politics prevalent in the state, it was a herculean task before he could even be made acting governor.
Now, with the elections in 2015 fast approaching, the last things on the minds of the political goliaths and elites in the state are the records of the Acting Governor in office or the critical factor of content of his character Dr. King emphasized in his famous speech.
Today, in Taraba state, we may not really be dealing with racism of the type experienced by Dr King, but in actual fact, we are confronted with an even greater tragedy which is the nauseating prospects of adults and educated elites behaving in a way even cave men would have found very primitive.
In this day and age, only the individual qualities and track record of aspiring public officers should be our primary consideration. It was the recourse to crass sentiments that has brought the nation to its knees presently.
If Danbaba Suntai is being made to go through what he is being put through presently for the sake of maintaining a peculiar status-quo hinged on primordial sentiments, then those responsible for his prolonged suffering should hide their faces in shame because history will be very hash on them.
It is time that commonsense is allowed to prevail by allowing Suntai to recede from the public space to enjoy the kind of care and attention his mental and physical condition demand.
Re: Assessing Kwankwaso’s candidacy for president
My initial intention was to do a recount of the feedback on last week’s piece on the chances of the incumbent Governor of Kano state, His Excellency Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso if he does decide to run for the presidency. I will now do so next week, God willing.
In the meantime, it is only fit and proper that I make a few clarifications on the piece itself. It was not the precise endorsement of the Governor by my humble self like some respondents have alleged but a candid examination of his odds on the basis of the excellent work I feel he has done for the people of Kano since his second coming and experience as a public officer.
One fact I could not add in last week’s piece for lack of space is the fact that Kwankwaso has also been the Minister of Defence! Unlike what is obvious from the incompetent handling of the insurgency in the North East for example, because of his intricate knowledge of the Nigerian military establishment, Kwankwaso would need fewer tutorials on how to tame the monstrous scourge of corruption that has clearly degraded the capacity of the Army in recent times, or how to rescue Nigerians from the harbingers of terror and general criminality. On that score, only General Muhammadu Buhari can possibly surpass him.
That is not to underrate the chances of all the other aspirants from the opposition like Bukola Saraki, Adams Oshiomhole, Sam Nda-Isaiah, and Rochas Okorocha all of whom are immensely qualified and will bring different perspectives to the table.