Taraba State Governor Danbaba
Suntai, has described his life as a living testimony just as he said that he
had forgiven the people that were heating up the polity over his health
condition because of their selfish interests.
Suntai stated tis in New York while
speaking with our correspondent on Sunday evening during a reception organised
by Ambassador Kennedy F. Apoe, a former Nigerian Ambassador to the United
Nations, to celebrate the governor’s 52nd birthday at his private residence in
Staten Island in New York, said that he gave all thanks to God for making him
to still be alive.
Below is the conversation between
Governor Danbaba Suntai and our correspondent:
Your Excellency, how are you sir?
Suntai: I am fine (Smiles). I am
very fine.
Good, sir can you recollect the
incident that brought you to the United States?
Suntai: Yes, a crash. They said i
was involved in a plane crash but i do not want to talk about it now because
the memory takes me back. The doctors advised that i should not be made to
remember the incident, but i am fine now.
Okay sir. So how do you feel today,
having your family members and some aides around you for your birthday
celebration?
Suntai: I am happy that i am alive
to witness today. I thank all of them for their supports....(paused)
Our correspondent reports that
Governor Suntai personally demanded that a Worship Song titled: ‘Mighty To
Save, and Everyone Needs Forgiveness’ which was sang by a Christian group
called ‘Hillsong’, be played for him.
The governor, after listening and
singing the song along with her daughters, Mariam, Edigwa and Zainab, for about
eight minutes, said that he loved the song because it always reminded him that
he must always forgive all his offenders just as God does forgive him of all
his sins too.
On this note, Suntai said that he
had forgiven all his offenders including those he said had been heating up
Taraba state just because of their selfish interests.
Asked what he missed most since he
has been away from his territory, Danbaba Suntai said that he missed many
things but specifically mentioned the celebration he always holds with his
community people in his home town every Christmas period.
Suntai who was dressed in a navy
blue colour suit, with a red T-shirt under it, quoted the name of the person
that uses to beat the traditional drums for him during the celebration as
“Danjuma”, stressing that he (Suntai) would surely be present when it will
again be celebrated at the end of this year.
Shortly after this, the governor
demanded that some food be brought for him and Mrs Mabel Apoe, wife of the host
and organizer of the indoor celebration which lasted for about three hours,
served him with some rice, beans, salad, green tea, and water melon- the
governor ate all these, though with no meat.
According to our correspondent, four
different telephone calls out of which one was made by the former Deputy
Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Honorable Abel Diah, were
transferred to Governor Suntai by his wife who earlier picked the calls shortly
after the cake cutting (NOTE FOR EDITORS: I have Photo and Video Proofs
for that)
In a brief chat with our
correspondent, the Governor’s wife, Hajia Hauwa Suntai, said that her husband’s
case was truly a living testimony, adding that it was only the intervention of
God that brought the governor back to life. “I am quite happy and
excited, and i thank God for everything” She added.
She said: “As you can see, we are
all over him and everybody here present is happy with him. I do not really care
about all the negative reports that some journalists have been writing about my
husband and you can see it for yourself now that he is really doing well. You
can even see that he has improved more than the last time you came to visit him
at home”
She pressed further that a media
report (Not in LEADERSHIP) which had last week said that the US doctors
with Governor Suntai had asked the family to take him back to Nigeria as a
result of non-improvement in his health condition was fake, saying that
none of the family members or the Taraba state government ever received such
directive or advice from the hospital where the governor was being attended to.
Speaking on how she received the
news of the air crash that involved her husband the day it happened, the Taraba
first lady said: “It was so shocking, and it created missed feelings and
emotions for her because i never thought he could survive it. It was very
tough but we thank God that he survived it at the end of the day”
Also the host, Ambassador Kennedy
Apoe in a chat with LEADERSHIP, who said that he was glad that the governor was
alive to witness his birthday celebration, described his health condition as
“excellent”, stressing that he and the governor had been together in the last
few days and they had discussed several issues, ranging from his health to the
political situation of Nigeria.
Ambassador Apoe said: “With where
the governor is coming from, i will say his health condition is excellent.
Anytime we go to see him, he always talks with us normally as against media
propaganda by his political opponents. He always remembers previous discussions
so how do you say such a man has lost his memory”
The governor’s daughter, Maria, told
our correspondent that she was not happy with her father’s condition but said
she thanked God for bringing him back to life.
Contrary to reports, one of the
governor’s physicians who earlier spoke with our correspondent over the phone,
Dr. Andrew Smith, confirmed that the governor was not on an admission at the
Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Centre in New York.
He said that Mr. Suntai had been
discharged from the hospital about two weeks ago but was only asked to always
visit the Rehabilitation Centre for therapies which would make his doctors
determine when he is fit to undergo a long distance flight back to
Nigeria.
Source: Leadership
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