EDWIN KIAGBODO CLARK : End of an era

By FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU

In an uncanny conspiracy of destinies, Pa EK Clark, famous Ijaw and pan-Niger Delta leader and founding leader of the Southern/Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), and his deputy and the late Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, died barely three days apart from each other. Adebanjo died on Friday, February 14 aged 96, Clark died on Monday – yesterday, February 17, 2025 – aged 97. In one of the most awe-inspiring coincidences in recent memory, it’s as if the leader (elder) simply asked the deputy (younger) to lead the way so the elder would ‘take care of things’ and be on his way too soonest.

The dividing line between life and death is a thin one, indeed. How was anyone to know that the SMBLF Adebanjo eulogy signed by Clark and issued on Sunday, February 16, was not only his last document to be signed on Mother Earth but also his own farewell from this side of the Great Divide?

“Throughout his life, Chief Adebanjo was not only a political activist but also a mentor and father figure to many. His wisdom and counsel were invaluable in the deliberations of the SMBLF, where he played a vital role in shaping the forum’s positions on national issues. His absence will be profoundly felt, as his voice was always one of reason, courage, and foresight.

“As we bid farewell to this titan of justice and democracy, we pray for the peaceful repose of his soul. May the Almighty grant his family, the Yoruba people, and Nigeria the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. His legacy will remain a guiding light for future generations,” Clark had written.

If men could ‘see’, we would clearly have ‘seen’ that Clark was also writing about himself. For, if the wisdom and counsel of Adebanjo, his deputy, were invaluable in the deliberations of the SMBLF…and in shaping the forum’s positions on national issues, the contributions of Clark the national leader of SMBLF, would probably as many, if not more.

And such shared momentous contributions wouldn’t just be the product of a good leader-deputy relationship. Both had a lot in common. For one thing, both were fiercely independent-minded, courageous, fearless and sticklers for justice and fairness. They were both brilliant lawyers, mentally and physically sound and putting in hours of work daily till the very end.

For another, both loved their people, their nationalities, and believed in a country where their nationalities could come together as one in a marriage of diverse peoples, cultures and faiths, anchored on justice, fairness and mutual respect for one another. Clark was proudly Ijaw and Adebanjo proudly Yoruba, but they both believed in a Nigeria that is just and fair to all its citizens and residents alike, irrespective of place of origin, tribe religion or creed.

Unfortunately, it is not likely that dream ever became their reality. At 96 and 97, both optimistic nationalists were still calling for political structuring towards a better governance system and, therefore, a better country until the very end.

Pa Clark, like Pa Adebanjo, to borrow an excerpt from Nigerian Tribune’s ‘Eight things to know about Clark’, “was a passionate advocate for democracy, social justice, and national restructuring, dedicating his life to these causes over several decades.”

“During his 97th birthday celebration in May, he called on President Bola Tinubu to prioritize restructuring as a means to address Nigeria’s pressing security, economic, and political challenges. He is remembered for his significant contributions to governance, education, and regional advocacy. His impact endures through the institutions he built and the causes he championed, ensuring that his legacy lives on for future generations.”

Perhaps the only difference between the two great men is that while Adebanjo was Yoruba, a majority tribe, Clark was Ijaw, a minority. Yet, that distinction, in my view, is what makes Clark’s exertions in the Nigerian sociopolitical and cultural space even more significant, more poignant.

Of course, it is a matter of opinion and very debatable, but one holds the view that not since the late J.S Tarka of Tiv land had any other minority leader pushed out his chest, as the Igbo would say, in defence of tribe, land and resources as did the irrepressible, not to add irreplaceable, Edwin Kiagbodo Clark.

The closest to Clark would be Obong Victor Attah, the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, an Ibibio, who took on former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the fight for the abrogation of the onshore-offshore oil dichotomy law and won! Akwa Ibom, which produces mainly offshore (at seat) oil is today classified as probably the largest oil producing State in Nigeria, because Attah happened.

Clark was in the forefront of the fight for more dignifying treatment of Niger Delta, the nation’s hydrocarbon basin, throughout the heady days of the Niger Delta crisis in the early 90’s– from the days of Asari, Ateke Tom, Mend (of the Gbomo Jomo fame) to Tompolo in the trenches. Derided, threatened and even blackmailed by the majority (the two biggies actually)-controlled political establishment, Clark browbeat all the odds and trudged on in total support of his people’s cause, until redemption came in the form of a Yar’Adua that doused all the tension. Not too long after, Jonathan came on the scene and the world asked the old war horse Clark to take a bow.

Today, Clark is recognized worldwide, first and foremost, as an Ijaw leader, a Nigerian patriot of Ijaw extraction. Whether in the NDDC, Ministry of Regional Development or the oil industry generally, the trojan horse of an oldie would always look out for the Ijaw, seeking to know whether or not they were getting their due. Where he felt they were not, hell would practically be let loose until the needful was done. To put it another way, under the direction of Clark, Ijaw became the dominant force in the Niger Delta, almost its soul voice. Witness PANDEF.

From Northern to Southern minorities, all no other groups boast such selflessness in group leadership. Most of what others have are oft-self-serving leaders, seemingly ashamed, almost loathe, to identify with their own people but always sucking up to their oppressors for fear of being labeled, pigeon-holed and denied crumbs from the mindless, no-room-for-others biggies eternally pulling the levers of power in Nigeria.

If only Clark had been younger…Now, he is even gone! Who will now defiantly beat their chests for the minorities?

Adieu, old guy with the blood of a youth. You fought the good fight for your people; if they fail to keep the lamp burning, going forward, it’s not because you didn’t teach them to always keep enough lamp oil. Every man, even group, must carry their own cross after all. May God grant your soul mercy and repose in His bosom through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

This tendency to suck up to one’s oppressors in order not to be denied the crumbs from the master’s table isn’t, in point of fact, a minorities-only affliction. Let us not even say ‘were Nnamdi Kanu to be a Yoruba – Obasanjo, Soyinka, others spoke out for Igboho… More telling, for the purpose of this argument is, were Nnamdi Kanu to be an Ijaw with a living Clark to witness his brazen objectivization by the political establishment?…