The plain truth on Gov. Suntai’s flying

The fact that the governor and his aides cheated death with injuries is no longer exciting even as the ever vibrant media has managed to narrow the discourse to aviation matters. My good friend, Austin Agbonsuremi of Raypower, for instance, was quick to stop me the other day when I began to latch again into […]

The fact that the governor and his aides cheated death with injuries is no longer exciting even as the ever vibrant media has managed to narrow the discourse to aviation matters. My good friend, Austin Agbonsuremi of Raypower, for instance, was quick to stop me the other day when I began to latch again into the miraculous escape narrative. I was on the popular political platform program, and they had asked me why the governor was flying a plane. I started with a flashback of the event, but Austin interjected. What was important, he said, was the issue of flying. The other guys on the platform were also impatient and went for my blood with their barrage of questions: who owns the plane? Why was the governor flying it himself? couldn’t the state afford pilots?; what do we even need planes for in Taraba State considering our poverty? Do you have an airport? I managed to leave the radio station unscathed but promised to give answers to some of their posers at another meet.

So because these are the questions likely boggling the minds of some people, let me attempt some explanations. First the governor has never bought a plane for himself. The planes belong to the state government as I pointed out earlier. And the history of the aircraft dates back to the last governor, Rev. Jolly Nyame. It was he who decided (rightly) that the state should have a befitting airport. And why not? The state needs to be accessed from the air given the fact that many investors would prefer that mode. The project for the airport then started in his time. It was in his days too that two aircraft were bought.

But by the time Suntai became governor; both the airport and the two aircraft bought were in a sorry state. The airport was uncompleted with contractors complaining of non payment. Governor Suntai swung into action. First, he paid off the outstanding debt owed contractors on the airport and then embarked on expansions. Today, the airport is nears completion.

In fact, during a recent visit by President Goodluck Jonathan, Suntai gave him an inspection of the airport. The President was impressed. Later that day, the president got a firsthand aerial view of the flood devastation in the state courtesy, by the way, of one of our aircraft!

Taraba State is long overdue for a viable airport as the state is growing each day. So many people who want to take advantage of our investment opportunities often lament the fact that they can’t travel to the state due to the distance. To get to Abuja by air for instance, one has to leave Jalingo for Yola to fly out. The frustration of it all can only be imagined.

And Taraba is an investor’s haven. From solid minerals, to tourism and agriculture, the state is just that: nature’s gift to the nation. Besides, the aircraft has really helped with conducting many visiting dignitaries round the state by getting them to appreciate the state better from the sky. There is just so much that one see better while up there.

Some self-righteous commentators have charged us of forgetting road transport. Well, that is a lie from the pit of hell. Governor Suntai has done more for roads than any governor in the history of Taraba state. A visit to the state capital would convince even the biggest cynic. In fact, roads, beside the maintenance of peace and security, could easily be Suntai’s biggest legacy in Taraba. And he is a first in many ways.

Finally, the spectre of a man who just “flies above his people” is erroneous. Suntai is a down to earth person who sees himself first as a rural person. All weekends find him at his village where he mingles with the locals in a way most state executives don’t. He is the best thing that has ever happened to the state and even history will soon say this.

Emmanuel Bello is Taraba State’s Commissioner for Information and wrote this from Jalingo