BREAKING: Suntai, ex-Taraba gov is dead

 After almost five years in and out of hospital, a former Governor of Taraba State, Mr. Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, died in a United States hospital on Wednesday.
He died just two days to his 54^th birthday.
The former governor was born in Suntai, Bali local government area of Taraba on June 30, 1961.

Suntai, who was involved in a life-threatening chopper’s crash on October 25, 2012, managed to complete his tenure in 2015 on sick bed.
The Cessna helicopter crash also affected his Aide-de-Camp, Dasat Iliya, the Chief Security Officer, Timo Dangana and the Chief Detail, Joel Dangana, who were all flown abroad.
Following the crash of the private chopper, the ex-governor was initially treated at Adamawa Standard German Hospital in Yola before being transferred to the National Hospital Abuja on October 26, 2012 and eventually flown to a hospital in Germany.
But after he was discharged in Germany, he was moved to a rehabilitation centre in the U.S.
Before the air mishap, Suntai had in 2009 survived food poisoning as a sitting governor and he had to take a medical leave to detoxify his system in a German hospital.
According to a former Commissioner for Information in the state, Hon. Emmanuel Bello, the ex-governor died in the early hours of Wednesday.

Bello, who was overwhelmed over the death of his former boss, said:  “Former Governor Suntai is dead. It is two days to his birthday. Life. And death. And politicsitics.” But Bello could not give exact details of the hospital where Suntai died in the U.S.
The ex-governor had his secondary education at the Federal Government College, Kano, from 1975 to 1980 before proceeding to the School of Basic Studies at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria between 1980.
He later read Pharmacy at ABU and graduated in 1984. He did his internship at Yola Specialist Hospital and his National Youth Service at the State Hospital, Ijaiye Quarters in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Between 1989 and 1993, Suntai was elected the chairman of Bali Local Government (1989–1993). From 2000 to 2007, he occupied many posts in the state including being the chairman of Taraba State Investment and Properties Limited, Commissioner for Education (2000–2003), and  the Secretary to the Taraba State Government.
In April 2007 Suntai won election as the governor of Taraba State following the disqualification of Danladi Baido who won the gubernatorial primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).