Chairman, Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC), Mr Chinedu Ebie has lamented the passage of a foremost Niger Delta leader and nationalist, Chief Edwin Clark.
Reacting to the sad development, Ebie described the deceased as a compassionate advocate for democracy, social justice and restructuring, adding that Clark dedicated his life to these causes over several decades.
In a statement signed on his behalf by his Media Aide, Mr. Jerome Utomi, Ebie condoled the family just as he urged them to take solace in the fact that he lived a long, glorious and fulfilling life and contributed immensely to nation building.
“His passage at this moment of our nationhood is a colossal loss to the people of the Ijaw nation, Niger Deltan and Nigerian as a whole but let us take solace in the fulfilling, long and glorious life he lived.
“He was a crusader for justice and fairness; he contributed immensely to nation building and desired a restructured Nigeria where no one section is oppressed or marginalised”, the NDDC Board Chairman said
Ebie, a Delta State former Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education and later, Secretary to the State Government, noted the late Pa Clark was a man of many parts and a farsighted leader who will be remembered for his tremendous contributions to governance, education, regional advocacy, enduring impact especially through the institutions he built and the causes he championed, and his legacies.
“As a teacher, lawyer, humanist, philanthropist, and Commissioner for Education in the Mid-Western Region from 1968 to 1971, and later as Commissioner for Finance and Establishment in the defunct Midwestern Region between 1972 and 1975, the Kiagbodo, Delta State born late Pa Clark impacted his world and left his mark in the sands of history.
“During this period, he served with my late father, Professor John Ebie, whose portfolio was Health in the same cabinet. It is with nostalgia that I recall this period when our families melted together.
‘’In retirement, he was never tired as his love for a united Nigeria and the quest for a significantly developed Niger Delta region propelled him, with his development minded colleagues, to birth so many groups aimed at promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance at all levels of government in Nigeria’’.
Recall that as a philanthropist, Pa Clark founded the Edwin Clark Foundation, which focuses on supporting education and social development, contributing to the upliftment of many communities and individuals.
Ebie stressed that in line with promoting human capital development, the Niger Delta leader established Edwin Clark University, Kiagbodo, Delta State in 2015 aimed at providing higher education opportunities in his home state and the nation in general.
“The entire Niger Delta Region and the Governing Board, Management, and staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), will surely miss his fatherly advice.
“On behalf of my family, members of the Governing Board, and Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), It is my prayer that God grants him eternal rest and gives his family the fortitude to bear this huge and irreparable loss” Ebie further said.