Tag: Edwin Clark

Former Senate President,  David Mark, has described  the demise of two elder statesmen and patriots Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark and Ayo Adebanjo as a great loss to the entire nation.

This is contained in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Paul Mumeh, in Kano on Tuesday.

“Their demise marks the end of an era thus, creating a void in Nigeria’s socio-political landscape,” Mark stated.

Mark described Clark and Adebanjo as the “last of the conscience of the nation, who tirelessly fought for a progressive Nigeria of equal opportunities for all.

Read Also: Tinubu mourns Edwin Clark, hails his legacy

“Both elder statesmen were united in their quest for an egalitarian society, free from oppression and marginalisation,” he said.

Mark said that their exit was painful, especially at this time when Nigeria needs men of good conscience and valour to address the numerous challenges.

He said Clark and Adebanjo might not have seen a Nigeria of their dreams but they have laid a solid foundation for future growth and development.

Mark urged the President Bola Tinubu led Federal Government, to immortalise the duo for their selfless services and contributions to Nigeria.

He hoped that the ideals of patriotism, equal opportunities, unity, peace and progress which the departed elder statesmen advocated would inspire Nigeria’s future growth.

He also consoled the immediate families, governments, and people of Ogun and Delta just as he urged them to find solace in the credible legacies left behind by the departed elder statesmen. (NAN )

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow over the passing of former Federal Commissioner for Information and a reverred leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark.

Chief Clark, who dedicated much of his 97 years to public service and advocacy, passed away leaving behind a legacy of political courage and commitment to justice.

In a heartfelt tribute, President Tinubu described Chief Clark’s death as “a deeply sobering loss”, acknowledging his decades-long influence on Nigeria’s political landscape.

In the tribute, made public on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President said: “Chief Clark was a towering figure whose influence was felt across Nigeria’s political firmament for nearly six decades.

“He was a courageous leader who stood for what he believed in and was never afraid to stand alone in the face of injustice”, the President said. 

Born on May 25, 1927, in Kiagbodo, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief Clark served in various capacities, from local government to state and federal positions. 

He was a strong advocate for resource control, economic and environmental justice in the Niger Delta, a cause he championed tirelessly.

President Tinubu praised Clark’s patriotism and his unwavering commitment to national unity.

“Chief Clark spoke for the Niger Delta. He spoke for the nation. His views and interventions on national issues were distinct and patriotic. 

“Pa Clark, a lawyer and educationist, believed in a united Nigeria, and until his last breath, he never stopped reaching out to people from different parts of the country to work together to preserve national unity based on justice and equity,” he stated.

Read Also: 18 things to know about late Ijaw leader Chief Edwin Clark

Recognizing the late statesman’s influence in Nigerian politics, the President emphasized the weight of Clark’s convictions.

“As an astute politician, his political opponents never doubted his words’ weight, confidence, and conviction when he spoke. Indeed, a patriot has transitioned to the great beyond. 

“History will remember him as a man who fought gallantly for the rights of the people of the Niger Delta, unity in diversity, and true federalism. I know many generations will remain proud of how his efforts contributed to national prosperity and stability,” Tinubu said.

On behalf of the federal government, the President extended his condolences to the Edwin Clark family, the Ijaw nation, the people of the Niger Delta, and the government of Delta State. 

He also prayed for divine comfort for all those affected by the loss.

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) leader died on Monday night, according to a statement by his brother Prof. C. C. Clark and son Penawei Clark for the children.

Here are things to know about the late Ijaw leader

1. Edwin Clark was born May 25, 1927.

2. He was 97.

3. He was a Nigerian Statesman, Ijaw leader and politician from Delta State who worked with the administrations of military governor Samuel Ogbemudia and head of state, General Yakubu Gowon between 1966 and 1975.

4. In 1966, he was a member of an advisory committee to the military governor of the Mid-Western Region province, David Ejoor and was appointed Federal Commissioner of Information in 1975.

5. In 1983, he was an elected senator for three months at the twilight of the Shagari administration.

6. Clark was an unofficial advisor to President Goodluck Jonathan.

7. He was a philanthropist who founded the Edwin Clark Foundation and established a university in his hometown in 2015.

8. Clark was born in Kiagbodo, in the Ijaw area of what is now Delta State.

9. He attended primary and secondary schools at Effurun, Okrika and Afugbene before completing further studies at the Government Teacher Training College, which later became Delta State University, Abraka.

10. Clark worked briefly as a school teacher before traveling abroad to earn a law degree.

11. The Nigerian poet J. P. Clark was his younger brother.

12. He was a Federal Commissioner for Information.

Read Also: BREAKING: Chief Edwin Clark dies at 97

13. Clark’s involvement in the political process began during the pre-independence period when he was elected as Councillor for Bomadi in 1953.

14. Clark later joined the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC).

15. While a student at Holborn College, he was active in the West African Students’ Union.

16. During the second republic, he was a member of the national executive committee of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and was the treasurer of the party in Bendel State (now, in part, Delta State and previously the Mid-Western Region province).

17. Since 1996, Clark had been a self-described leader of the Ijaw nation.

18. He supported the Ijaw ethnic group in Delta State during an ethnic crisis in Warri and led Ijaw leadership delegations to meet political leaders.

Elder Statesman and Convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has commended Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, for his achievements in the state since assuming office on May 29th, 2023.

Clark, who said Governor Oborevwori had achieved much within a short time as governor, added that he had outperformed his predecessors.

In an open letter on Friday, Clark praised Oborevwori for transforming Warri into a bustling commercial hub and addressing long-standing infrastructural challenges across the state.

He berated the Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Senator Ned Nwoko, over his allegations of ineffectiveness on the part of the Oborevwori’s administration, describing the notion as unfounded.

Clark expressed admiration for the governor’s achievements within a short period and challenged critics to identify any past Delta State governor who has accomplished as much within a comparable timeframe.

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The prominent Ijaw leader commended Governor Oborevwori for engaging Julius Berger Construction Company in executing critical projects, including the construction of three flyovers, a cloverleaf interchange, pedestrian bridges, and ancillary road expansions at the DSC Roundabout. The projects, valued at ₦78 billion, are already making significant progress.

“Warri is fast becoming a sight to behold, returning to its old self. The famous Warri Township, which had been reduced to a shadow of itself, is being revitalised under Oborevwori’s leadership,” he wrote.

Clark contrasted this with the neglect Warri suffered under prior administrations, which he accused of focusing development on less populated areas while ignoring densely populated commercial hubs like Warri and Uvwie.

The elder statesman also applauded Oborevwori’s efforts to ensure that all parts of Delta State benefit from infrastructure projects.

“Today, the story is different. Almost all parts of the state are feeling the impact of Governor Oborevwori’s developments,” Clark stated.

Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark has said that restructuring of the country is the only solution to the ongoing debate on the Tax Reform Bills of President Bola Tinubu.

Clark said the issues raised for and against the reforms will be addressed if the country is restructured and produce a new constitution, or adopt the 1963 Republican Constitution.

The former national Commissioner stated this in his statement on the current debate on the reform bills, which is before the National Assembly. 

He said: “Today, some northern Governors are agitated because of the proposed tax reform bill, because they are feeling left out, if the policy will be on derivation. My appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the 19 Northern Governors in particular is to handle this matter with utmost caution. Otherwise, the resulting consequence will not be favourable  

“Mr. President, the on-going controversies around this tax reform, to me, highlights the need for a full and comprehensive constitutional review of the country’s fiscal federalism. This review should address amongst other things, the following:

“Equitable Revenue Sharing: Develop a more transparent and equitable revenue sharing formula that considers both the needs of the less economically advantaged states and contributions of high revenue generating states.

“In addition, there is need for political consensus building to foster dialogue among political stakeholders to ensure that tax reforms have broad-based support and are sustainable across political transitions.

“If we must live together as one country, Restructuring is a sine qua non.

  “The issues raised for and against the tax bill, are all among issues which will be addressed if we restructure the country and produce a new constitution, or adopt the 1963 Republican Constitution. 

“Giving priority to restructuring will give room for the overhauling of the tax system of the country. It is lack of restructuring that has led us to the quagmire we are today as a people; that is why we are here today. This brings to mind my usual slogan, that “except we restructure Nigeria, non-restructuring will kill Nigeria.”

Read Also: Tinubu, Atiku, Diri hail Edwin Clark at 97

He also added, “Taxation is the sovereign-imposed, legally mandated financial obligation on individuals, entities, and transactions to fund public expenditures, redistribute wealth, and influence economic and social behavior. In Nigeria, this obligation is governed by a multi-tiered system of federal, state and local taxes, each with unique legal frameworks and administrative structures. The complexity of the Nigerian tax system arises from the interplay between constitutional mandates, legislative provisions, and the practicalities of revenue collection and allocation.

We can no longer tinker around the edges. The design of Nigeria’s tax system must prioritize incentives for collection and central remittance rather than emphasizing revenue sharing “fairness”. A focus on equitable sharing, without improving collection, creates perverse incentives – states can only share what is collected. Therefore, to boost overall tax revenue, emphasis must focus on improving the collection and remittance processes to ensure a social contract between the corporate and natural individuals for whom they are responsible. Sub-sovereign capacities to collect taxes must be enhanced.”

Going down memory lanes, Clark said taxation has always been an issue. 

“Unfortunately, after all these periods, we have still not gotten our fiscal policies right. And the simple answer is because of inconsideration of the plights of others. Knowing that we are peculiar in line with our differences, it will do us much good if we can manage our diversity,” he added. 

Expressing concern over colouration of the debate, stressed “The inequality, injustice and oppression of tribe against tribe and region against region, is not in any way abating despite efforts by well-meaning citizens insisting on equality.

“At the time of amalgamation of the northern and southern parts of the country into one entity called Nigeria, it was not stated, neither was it discussed, that one people should lord it over the other.”

He also blamed successive leaders for failing to manage the country’s diversity. 

“The leaders of this country have stoutly refused to manage our diversity as a people, and use our diversity as a gain. Rather, they have instituted themselves as institutions, rather than ensuring that the nation’s systems are strong and are the grand norm of the country. “

Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, Monday, August 24, commended President Bola Tinubu for the rescue of the twenty medical students and eight National Youth Service (NYSC) members. 

Clark equally commended the security agencies for their roles in the operation.

The former national commissioner in a statement said the successful rescue is a major victory for the Tinubu administration.

He stated partly: “The rescue of the 20 medical students and the eight corpers from Akwa Ibom state, who were rescued after spending one year in the bush, in the hands of their abductors, is a major victory for the President Tinubu administration, and I commend him for it.

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“I commend the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and all those who participated in this rescue mission. I pray that such rescue methods should be deployed all over the country, across the North East, North West, North Central, South East, South West and South-south.  

“I also call on the state governors to up their game. The issue of security left in the hands of the President alone is not tenable. The excuse by the Governors that they do not control the security forces in their States, does not hold water, because they use these same security agencies to fight their opponents in their various States.

“I have not heard that the security agencies have refused the call of any governor to assist them in their States. Once again, I commend President Tinubu and all the agencies on this feat.”

He said the news made his weekend, saying, “For a long time now, this past weekend was a weekend I was able to spend with joy and gladness in my heart, as a result of the successful rescue of the innocent 20 medical students, who were abducted along Benue State, on their way to attend a programme in Enugu State, and eight youth corp members who were abducted a year ago.

“This feeling was even bolstered, as I watched Dr. Reuben Abati, who has just come back fresh from his vacation, excitedly analyze and commend President Tinubu and the security forces for this feat. I wholeheartedly agree with his analysis.

“Kidnapping and banditry are having adverse effects on our economy and lifestyle. It has killed agricultural activities in the country, as farmers are no longer free to go to their farms.

“Time was in this country when trading was carried out within States along the roads. But now driving, for instance, from Abuja to Kaduna, even during the day, has become frightening because one is not sure what will befall the person.

“Abduction has become the most dangerous weapon against security, economy, and the social life of the people, to the extent that no one can move freely on the roads for fear of being kidnapped.”

• Elder statesman faults party leadership’s approach

• Ijaw leader urges Damagum to purge self of wrongdoings

Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has faulted the setting up of a reconciliation committee by the leadership of main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Clark said the PDP needs a probe panel that would examine the activities of some party members who have been engaging in anti-party activities.

The former National Commissioner stated this in an open letter he wrote to the party’s Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Illiya Damagum, yesterday in Abuja.

He urged Damagum to purge himself of his alleged wrongdoings.

The letter reads: “The purpose of this Open Letter, therefore, Mr. Acting National Chairman of PDP, is: ‘To call on you to immediately set up a probe panel/committee to probe members, like Nyesom Wike, and if found guilty, to face the appropriate sanctions prescribed by the party’s constitution, and not the setting up of a Reconciliation Committee under the chairmanship of Maj.-Gen. (Olagunsoye) Oyinlola, with whom when I discussed, asked him whom he is reconciling, because the G-5 members have disintegrated. While the governor of Oyo State, who was a member of the G-5, has retraced his steps back to his party fully and is today the leader of the party in the Southwest, the other three are floating about.

“To urge you to also purge yourself of all (acts of) malfeasance. As the acting National Chairman of your party, you took your party’s NWC (National Working Committee) to court on the defection of the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly; that because they did not leave the PDP properly, they are still members of the party, even after the 27 members had publicly declared that they had defected and had already been received by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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“Your position, Mr. Acting National Chairman, is antithetical to the position of Section 109. You took your party’s National Executive Council (NEC) to court; an organ you preside over. Yet, you still have the presence of mind to remain in office, earning benefits that come with the office. From all indications, you are conniving with detractors of PDP to ruin the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Allow Nigerians to decide what party they want through the ballot box. Stop colluding with Nyesom Wike to destroy the party. A day of reckoning will come for all of man’s activities.

“Therefore, let me state again: set up a probe panel to investigate the obvious and open anti-party activities of Nyesom Wike and for insulting the foremost leader of the party, Senator Adolphus Wabara, the Chairman of the Board of the Trustees (BoT) of the party, which is the soul of the party. In fact, he should be expelled from the party for his crime against the party.

“I also wish to use this medium to call on all responsible and reasonable PDP party elders and members to take a bold step to flush out Wike from the party. He is not above the party. He should be expelled from it.”

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, on the occasion of his 97th birthday anniversary.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu joined family, friends, and well-wishers to celebrate Chief Clark’s contributions to Nigeria’s political evolution.

He saluted the elder statesman for his guidance to various administrations and his role as a catalyst for critical discourses and causes in furtherance of national development.

The President wished Chief Clark many more years in good health, acknowledging his inimitable figure in the nation’s history.

“President Bola Tinubu congratulates elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, on the special occasion of his 97th birthday.

“President Tinubu joins family, friends, and well-wishers to celebrate an inimitable figure in Nigeria’s political evolution.

“The President salutes Chief Clark for his contributions to the nation in many capacities, especially as a guide to various administrations and as a catalyst for critical discourses and causes in furtherance of national development.

“As the elder statesman marks his birthday, the President wishes him many more years in good health”, the statement said.

Also eulogizing the virtues of the elder statesman, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar  in a statement signed by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, described Chief Clark as, “a significant pillar from the old order that fortifies our fortress.

 “Chief Clark has always been a vocal voice that provides guidance and wise counsels to our national consciousness.

Read Also: Tinubu hails Ijaws leader Edwin Clark at 97

“On his attainment of a good old age of 97, it is only fitting that we join hands to congratulate him for this milestone and to appreciate him for the forthrightness he has always supported us with.”

Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, in a congratulatory message said for decades, the former Federal Commissioner for Information and Senator had remained a consistently frank voice on issues bordering on national development.

The Bayelsa governor, who praised the elder statesman and nationalist for not sitting on the fence at times of great moral and political crises in our country, noted that “Pa Clark’s courage and consistency were great inspiration to younger generations of leaders and activists.”

He said many Nigerians and, indeed, Africans look up to Chief Clark as their role model, father, mentor and political leader.