By Kenneth Ehigiator

Last weekend, Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State undertook his solo flight as a pilot at the premier Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, Zaria, Kaduna State.

The governor had, in the past weeks, been taking practical training in the college, and by the time he had a successful solo run last Friday, Suntai was bathed with water as a symbol of his integration into the flying club.  Shortly after the flight, the governor spoke with newsmen.  Excerpts:

You have just had your first solo flight as a pilot, how do you feel about the experience?  Secondly, how are you partnering with NCAT to boost aviation development in Nigeria?  Do you also have plans to build an airport in the state, and how do you intend to source the funds?

Well let me thank you for taking the time to come and give me this interview in my first solo flight. How I feel about the solo flight, I feel excited and I feel grateful to God for the opportunity to fly my first solo.

Personally, right from the onset in my life, I choose aviation as a career and I pursuing it I was able to obtain admission to Mbrevidaila Aeronautical University in Florida, but coming from a very poor background I couldn’t sponsor myself to the school so I started looking for scholarship, but I couldn’t obtain a scholarship.

So that was how I ended up in the pharmacy profession.  However, aviation has continued to bite me in my blood. And when I learnt that I could even fly at my age, I decided to come over here to see the rector and inform him about my ambition and he enrolled me. And after some few training, today I was able to undergo this solo flight.

So, in my blood I have it as a passion, so this passion translate to my belief in encouraging students who want to be pilots to be sponsored to train. Currently, I have about two students that we sponsored to this college.

And I also recall that I sent somebody to South Africa to train as a pilot. So it is a passion and personally I have the interest to encourage students to come into the aviation college. I don’t know about other governors but the thing is all about passion.

On airport project, the government of Rev. Jolly Nyame started an airport and we brought it up to a particular stage where the contractor stopped and couldn’t carry on. But when I came, I pumped up funds over N2.68 billion to enable him to complete the airport. But having bought all the equipment and everything, I came to the conclusion that the assignment of an airport was beyond his capacity, so I called him and requested for him to handover the airport and paid him off and a suitable company will be asked to complete the airport.

I brought in PW Nigeria Limited to complete the airport. When they went and assess the airport, they came up with a cost of almost N10 billion because of the problems we have with the airport as it is today. We have almost a kilometer of long dirt, very high hill that you will need to fill up and then we have heavy embodiments of rock at one end of the airstrip. So when they came up with this cost and I discovered that I could only just put a little to put up a new airport,  they told me they could not give me guaranty even though they will do it.
This issue of guaranty was the one that worried me and I said I could put in just a little on
it and let them start the airport themselves, complete themselves and give me a guaranty.

So currently, we have surveyed a new piece of land for a new airport.  Yes, I intend to establish a standard 3.3 km runway in the proposed Taraba Airport project.

When completed, do you intend to engage a private company to run the airport?
Fortunately, when we started constructing the airport, the federal government took interest and had even planned to make some refund to us. I am of the persuasion that when I finished that airport, the federal government will take over that airport.

How would you assess the facilities with which you were trained that culminated in your solo flight today with and in what ways would you want to be committed to assist the college, either through government or private?
Well, I have said it time and again that Captain Adebayo Araba (NCAT Rector) is an extra ordinary leader in this country. A man that each time I come around here I met going around in his uniform mixing up freely with the instructors and students. And I am not surprised that he has change a lot of things.
I have heard the story of how this school was yesterday and I am highly impressed with what I see about this school today, thanks to Capt. Araba. I am so proud of him and I am prepared to, in
anyway possible, support his vision and prepare to speak where I can speak at the federal level for him to encourage him to succeed in taking this school to a standard that can be acceptable anywhere in the world.
How would you assess the aviation industry in Nigeria?

My assessment of the aviation industry is that it is an industry that you must put the right people at the helm of affairs. You must put people who have knowledge to be able to run the place, even from the minister down. It is an important sector that you cannot just bring anybody there, you have to bring experienced people who know the sector very well. And I believe that if you bring them they can run it better.