Suntai speaks with Jonathan, Sambo, receives colleague in New York

Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State on Tuesday spoke with President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo and received his colleague, Gov ernor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State in New York, United States of America.
The North America correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria reports Suntai was beaming with smiles and excitement in New York, as he spoke with the top Nigerian leaders and interacted with Susmam
Suntai is at the Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Centre and Home, where he is recuperating from the injury he suffered after his aircraft crashed in Adamawa State while attempting to land in October in 2012.
NAN also reports that Suntai, who was described by his colleague as gaining more weight, on sighting his guest and wife, Yemisi Suswam, immediately stood up for a quick hand shake and exchange of pleasantries.
The two colleagues later went into jokes and conversations about happenings in the country.
Within the period he was with his visitors, the governor also had telephone conversations with President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo who called in.
Suswam said: When he saw me, he greeted me.
“He smiles, you know.
“We have a name we call ourselves.
“I call him, Malam Suntai.
“”He calls me Alhaji Suswam.
“When I called him Malam Suntai, he burst into laughter.
“He was quite excited seeing me because the last time I saw him, was when he was in Germany at that point he was still in the Intensive Care Unit.
“That was some few months back and here now.
“We shook hands.
“He stood up, we cracked jokes, we discussed generally.
“Like I said, I made a phone call to the vice president who spoke with him.
“I was quite excited that I met him in very good condition.
“We held discussions about the country, about his health and my interactions with him shows he has recovered substantially and we are just waiting for him to actually get back to Nigeria and resume work.
“For someone whose condition was quite critical from a plane crash, it is a miracle, because people hardly survive plane crashes.
“That he survived and that he had recovered thus far is the mercy of God.
“I think he is taking it easy too and thanking God for what God has done to him.
“But generally, he was eager to know how the country is and I just briefed him on politics and development in the country generally.
“I called the vice president and he spoke with him as well and I strongly believed that once the doctors give a go ahead, he will come back home, because he is strong and doing somethings by himself.”
Suswam added that Suntai had actually been communicating with the people of Taraba State, particularly with the acting governor.
Suswam added: “I learnt that the acting governor had also visited him.
“So. he is to some large extent in touch with happenings back home.
“So in seeing me, he wanted to know about other colleagues and how they are doing and I explained things to him.
“To me as a lay man, I will say he is fully recovered because somebody who can discuss and walk around, do things by himself, for me, given the situation that I saw him initially, I will say he has fully recovered but you know doctors want to be more careful.
“He is ready to go.”
Suswam stated that the Taraba governor was anxious to return to the country after staying this long, but that his doctors are being very careful.