Fresh startling revelations indicate that Taraba state which has been plagued with political crisis is now facing some disquiet over the huge cost of the governor’s treatment. Over $750,000 is said to have so far been spent by the state government in treating the state’s ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai in the last ten months .
Investigations have so far revealed that the funds expended on the ailing governor were not documented by the state government as they were either directly channeled into the personal account of the governor’s friend based in US and as awell as a close family member.
An insider had exclusively disclosed to few selected journalists that, ‘’ so far the state Government has expended billions of Naira on our governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai since his involvement in a fatal air crash near Yola the capital of Adamawa State.’’
The source said that since Suntai was involved in the accident, the state government has been footing the medical expenses till he was transferred to his last destination the United States of America from where he was taken back to Taraba State recently.
This reporter gathered that the most unfortunate development about the whole saga is that since despite the monumental funds spent in taking care of the ailing governor, no proper record and documentation about the expenditure were kept in the government account books as the money is being directly being sent to the personal account of the Governor’s US based intimate friend (named withheld) who has been the person taking charge of the medical concern of the ailing governor.
“It is unfortunate that despite the colossal amount being expended by tax payers’ money, no documentation of the transaction is recorded at the level of the state government”, a source said.
“All the funds being sent to offset the medical expenses of the ailing governor’s are being directly sent to the personal account of the governor’s friend who is not even an official of the State government,’’ said a source privy to the transactions.
Sources said that the transaction is always made on phone between the state government and the governor’s friend or the the close family member’’ despite the colossal amount involved and even at that, nobody ever deemed it right to generate a medical report about the governor’s health status which is responsible for the present crisis rocking the state because nobody actually knows the true health status of the ailing Governor as it has been treated as an exclusive preserve of a few people,”another souce at the state ministry of health confirmed.
A different source, at the state treasury added that since the governor was involved in the accident about 10 month ago the sum of S75,000 about N12m is being sent into the personal account of the governor’s friend on monthly basis in addition to the sum of N100m monthly security vote of the state which is also sent to the personal account of ( the governor’s friend )apart from the governor’s monthly salary and other perks of office the ailing governor enjoys on a monthly basis.
“It was the state government that shouldered all the medical bill and estacode of all those involved in the accident and those that are with him both in Germany and US,’’ said a female source close to the kitchen cabinet.
The source added that those people close to the ailing governor were part of the cabal responsible for holding the state hostage for the inherent capital they are making out of the Governor ill health.
When contacted, a close associate of governor suntai Alhaji Aminu Jika , one time commissioner of information who was recently purportedly appointed as the new Chief of Staff to Governor Danbaba Suntai denied the alleged financial claim.He said that ,’’the said huge amount was short of truth.’’
Jika further said that, ‘’ those who are making this frivolous allegations are the very people running the affairs of the government before Oga returned back,(sic)’’ he said.
He added that , “ it is ridicolous for the same people who are responsible for the said transaction to now come back and start pointing accusing fingers at others.They should tell the world where and how the transaction was done.’’
