Taraba’s obsession with airplanes

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Written by Olawale Rasheed
Friday, 02 November 2012

Wreckage of Governor Suntai’s jet

Regional Editor (News), Olawale Rasheed, examines the controversy trailing Taraba State governors’ penchant for aircraft acquisition and the involvement of the incumbent governor in personally piloting one of the airplanes.

The issue of aircraft acquisition and usage has been a subject of controversy within Taraba State since the advent of democracy in 1999, The Friday Edition can reliably report. Checks showed that successive governments in the state had engaged in aircraft purchase and deployment in state governance before the incumbent, Mr Danbaba Suntai.

Reports from the state indicated that while the aircraft issue has always pitched the people and their leaders against each other, successive governments had not taken steps to either sell off the acquired planes or lease them out to commercial airlines for business. A former governor of the state, Reverend Jolly Tanko Nyame, was reported to have started the aircraft purchase right from his election as governor in 1999. The opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) was said to have mounted spirited campaign against the purchases but the advocacy fell on deaf ears.

Investigations showed that as at the time Reverend Nyame was leaving office in 2007, the state had two aircraft worth several millions of dollars. It was learnt, however, that the aircraft could not be domiciled in the state because Jalingo, the state capital, had no airport. Many natives of the state cried foul during and after Nyame‘s tenure with series of petitions that eventually saw the former governor facing ongoing trial with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Despite the corruption trial, Nyame’s successor, Governor Suntai, however inherited the aircraft and there were intense debates in the state from 2007 to 2008 as to what should be done to the inherited assets. Checks showed that many top leaders of the state, including General Theophilus Danjuma, supported outright sale of the aircraft and the investment of the fund realised in infrastructural development of the state. Other groups were said to have supported the retention of the assets by the state, a position said to have secured the favour of Governor Suntai, especially as he was still in very good partnership with his now estranged predecessor, Nyame.

Suntai’s decision to retain the aircraft was reported to have started his estrangement with many opinion moulders in Taraba, who had advocated what they called a clean break from the Nyame era. On this point, the governor also had a brush with his godfather back in Abuja who believed he was straying from the original plan behind his election. The alleged godfather is Senator Aisha Al-Hassan whose husband allegedly bankrolled the governor‘s election.

The inherited planes were, however, packed in Kaduna as the airport in Jalingo was reportedly not conducive for such planes to land. Findings revealed that, in his bid to get the planes back from Kaduna where they were packed, Governor Suntai reportedly commenced an airport project in Jalingo. His critics alleged that he had spent nine billion naira on the project so far, after which, they alleged, the airport can still not host small planes let alone big commercial planes.

The government of the state however lauded the project as being designed to open up Taraba to local and international market. The project, the government had variously argued, would soon be completed and opened to commercial airlines. This assurance did not satisfy the governor’s critics who insisted that the airport project is a white elephant in a state known for its chronic underdevelopment. Reports from the state showed that the airport project is still ongoing.

The Friday Edition’s checks showed that the state government, from 2007 to 2011, acquired a small plane which still cannot land in Jalingo. It was also gathered that, last year, a smaller plane was acquired by the government, making two that have been so purchased under the Suntai administration. While there are reports that two new planes have been purchased so far under the Suntai administration, there is conflicting information about the fate of the two aircraft inherited by the governor.

Opponents of the governor alleged that the two planes are still packed in Kaduna while the governor borrowed from banks to purchase the new, smaller planes. Others noted that the inherited planes had been sold off and that the proceeds were spent on acquiring smaller planes and keeping the Jalingo airstrip functional. Reports indicated that official position on the issue is also cloudy, as most aides and associates of the governor are not ready to comment on the issue.

In spite of the issues about the old and new planes, the state was reported to have purchased another helicopter this year, with reports indicating that two new helipads have been built within the Government House and in the governor’s town. Reports from Jalingo indicated that residents in and around the state capital attested to a helicopter flying and out of the Government House, even though none could say with certainty whether that is the new helicopter allegedly acquired by the state government.

The political opposition had capitalised on the aircraft issue as a rallying point of their opposition to the governor. While the opposition accused the governor of wasteful spending and wrong prioritising, supporters of the governor cried foul, alleging that critics were hiding under the aircraft issue to pursue a 2015 agenda. Prior to the air-crash involving the governor, the opposition in the state had alleged that the state was already bankrupt, affirming that banks now hijack federal allocation to the state in view of huge sums of money owed the banks by the state.

But while the state was grappling with issue of aircraft acquisition, the governor was reported to be secretly attending pilot training programme at the Nigerian Aviation College, Zaria. The training started soon after the governor’s re-election, with unconfirmed reports indicating that the governor also took some time off to perfect the training at an undisclosed location in the United States of America (US).


The Friday Edition was told that because the governor was feared by many within the state, none could prevail on him to change his aviation agenda for the state and pursue other paths channeled for him by General Olusegun Obasanjo. The former president had brought rice investors from US with thousands of acres of land already allocated. Even while such conduct may appear like a slight on General Danjuma, many watchers of event in the state were said to have welcomed the development, if it could divert the governor’s attention.Governor Suntai’s decision to try as a pilot, despite his background as a pharmacist, thus confirms Taraba’s obsession with planes. This is especially so as his predecesor, Nyame, only acquired the planes but did not attempt to train as a pilot. It was learnt that since mid-last year, the governor had been flying the chopper to attend state functions and visit neighbouring states.

The Friday Edition was told that General Danjuma was angry with the trend of events in the state, especially as he himself does not use private jet whenever he is coming home. The situation was said to be responsible for the General‘s declaration early this year that governors were too powerful, as there were no checks on their powers in the governance of their individual states.

Findings showed that on two previous occasions when the governor allegedly had minor plane mishaps, some leaders in the state summoned courage to counsel him, but they were rebuffed. That incident was said to have swelled the ranks of discontent within the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

From then onwards, the party was allegedly polarised, as some stalwarts alleged that the party was already in the bad book of the people of the state.


Those still loyal to the governor were reported to have taken the matter to Abuja, alerting the Presidency on the conduct of the governor which they alleged had constituted a personal risk to himself in addition to the image of the party in the state. The matter was said to have come to the attention of Vice President Namadi Sambo who is said to have personally contacted the governor on the issue.

The intervention from the State House was reportedly followed by series of security reports which were silent on sources of funding for the airplanes and the chopper but warned against the governor’s habit of flying himself. As recently reported, the vice president was also not listened to when he intervened on the strength of security reports at his disposal.

A member of the State Executive Council, Emmanuel Bello, in a recent ‘chat’ however defended the governor, though he did not deny many of the allegations consistently raised by the opposition in the state. While affirming that the governor did not buy any plane for himself, he recalled that the plan of Governor Suntai was to open up the Taraba air space for better access, assuring that the Jalingo airport was nearing completion and would soon be open for business.

“There would also be an airport at the Mambilla for tourism purposes. The one in his village is just an air strip. We have such airstrips everywhere in Taraba. And in this age and time, what is wrong with having airports everywhere? So, there is no big deal about the airstrip in Bali or Suntai. Mischief makers are only trying to be funny. That he flies a plane belonging to the state is not such a crime. I know other leaders here and around the world who know how to fly a plane,’’ the commissioner noted.

On why a rural state like Taraba should have so many planes and choppers, the government spokesman defended his boss as having constructed more rural and urban roads than any previous governors in the state. Said he: “ He is committing over N15billion of the 2012 budget on more roads. No one can even fault him on roads. And these roads are having implications for tourism and commerce.’’
SOURCE: http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/the-friday-edition/50235-tarabas-obsession-with-airplanes