President Bola Tinubu has led the tributes for late elder statesman Edwin Clark who died at 97.
Clark’s death was announced in a statement by his family on Tuesday. Since then, tributes have poured in from top leaders in the country.
President Tinubu in a condolence message signed by his spokesman Bayo Onanuga said he received the news of Clark’s passage with soberness.
”Chief Clark spoke for the Niger Delta. He spoke for the nation. His views and interventions on national issues were distinct and patriotic,” he said.
”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,” the statement quoted Tinubu as saying.
”I know many generations will remain proud of how his efforts contributed to national prosperity and stability”.
Describing Clark as a man of conviction, Tinubu said the 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.
”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.”
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The Nigerian president said the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) will be remembered as one 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 added.
‘A Strong Advocate’
On his part, the National Leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and socio-political organization, Afenifere, Reuben Fasoranti.
Fasoranti described Clark as a “great man who would be remembered for his fearlessness and the knack to ‘say it as he saw it’.”
“Since the need to ensure that Nigeria serves the best interests of the vast majority became more pertinent, my brother, Chief Edwin Clark, was a very strong advocate,” the Afenifere National Publicity Secretary Jare Ajayi quoted Fasoranti as saying.
“His voice was loud in the agitations for a restructured Nigeria. He always displayed the same strong passion for national issues especially those that affected the South-South”.
He condoled “the immediate and extended families of our late patriot, Chief Edwin Clark, the people of Delta State, and the people of the South-South generally on his demise”.
‘He Stood for Fairness, Equity, and Justice’
In his tribute, the Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori said the late politician was a patriot, and role model “whose influence traversed Nigeria’s political scene for six decades”.
“To the people of the Niger Delta region, he was their champion. Bold, outspoken, and fearless, he stood resolute in crusading for fairness, equity, and justice for the region,” the governor wrote in a post on his X handle on Tuesday.
“His exit is also a personal loss; he was a motivator, mentor, and father to me. I will miss his wisdom, counsel, and zest for life.”
He condoled his family, the people of Kiagbodo in Burutu LGA of Delta State, and the Ijaw nation “over this monumental loss”.
“We can all take solace in the saying that Chief Clark came, he saw, and he conquered,” Oborevwori added.
Clark who hailed from Delta State was born on May 25, 1927, in Kiagbodo, Burutu Local Government Area.
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