By now, the “men of God†must have been laughing all the way to the bank.
With the accident involving Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State on Friday, the governors must now be reading a meaning to the misfortune that has been visiting their ranks in the past four months.
What is now fast turning to tales of woes started with Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State on Oct. 25 when a plane – a Cessna 208 5N-BMJ – he piloted crashed in Yola, Adamawa State.
While the pharmacist-turned-governor was flown to a German hospital a few days after the accident, his aides were abandoned in the Federal Medical Hospital, Yola.
The government was forced to take the aides abroad after public outcry on the preferential treatment given to the governor.
It is worthy of note that Suntai, whose state is one of the poorest in the country, is not a pilot by profession, but his love for flying made him to go for a training in piloting.
The governor has not fully recovered more than two months after he was flown abroad.
Before the Suntai crash, his counterpart in Enugu State, Sulivan Chime, had disappeared from the public scene.
Chime’s last public appearance was at the meeting of the South-East Governors’ Forum on Sept. 9, 2012 in Enugu.
He has not been seen by journalists in the Government House and public functions since then and the state government has kept mute on the state of health of the governor.
Unlike in Taraba State where the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, has been sworn in as acting governor, Sunday Onyebuchi remains a deputy governor three months after the disappearance of his master from the country.
When the Suntai plane crash occurred, his colleagues did not call for participation in the probe into the accident and there are no indications that they suspected a foul play.
However, since Dec. 15, when Yakowa and Azazi died in a helicopter crash in Bayelsa State, the governors have been anything but comfortable.
Yakowa and Azazi were coming from the funeral of the father of a presidential aide, Dr. Orontos Douglas, when the Navy helicopter they boarded crashed.
Signs that the governors are not at ease emerged after their meeting on Dec. 17 in Abuja, when they said they had no confidence in the Federal Government investigation into the accident that led to Yakowa’s death.
Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the NGF, Rotimi Amaechi, said the forum was not happy with the frequency of air crashes.
The governors have yet to recover from the death of Yakowa and Azazi when the accident involving Wada occurred. Like ordinary mortals, they are gripped by fear following the mounting misfortunes in their midst.
Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswan, probably voiced the concern of his counterparts while addressing members of the congregation of a church in Makurdi last week when he cried out that he could be attacked anytime.
The governor was also quoted as having said that with the death of Yakowa and the critical state of health of Suntai, only two Christian governors were left in the North, which has 19 states.
“Going by security reports available to me, I may be attacked any day, anywhere, anytime and this is the reason I call on you Christians to pray for me and my family,†Suswam said
For governors, this certainly is an ominous time.
