From Seyi Tayese, Yenagoa
Prominent leaders from the Ijaw ethnic nationality, including former President Goodluck Jonathan; Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri; his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson and President, Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba, among others, on Monday, paid tributes to the late Ijaw icon and Niger Delta leader, Pa Edwin Clark.
At the lying-in-state and commendation service held at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Dr. Jonathan said Chief Clark lived a life of service to others and for a cause he was relentlessly committed to.
The former president noted that the only way to honour the Ijaw hero was for his ethnic group to be united, irrespective of kingdom or clan.
He said Clark’s innate qualities singled him out as a leader not just to the Ijaws but also to other ethnic nationalities as attested to by the frequent visits of people from other parts of the country to his home.
His words: “The key thing for us the Ijaw people from Arogbo in the coastal part of Ondo State to Eastern Obolo in the coastal part of Akwa Ibom State to honour Pa Clark is to unite and not to discriminate against ourselves.
“Clark has done very well for us. He was a face of the Niger Delta and not just for the Ijaw ethnic nationality. He was also the face of the oppressed people from the Middle Belt and other tribes visited him more than the Ijaws.
“He was very vocal, brave and can tackle any human being at any time if you raise issues that are against his philosophy.”
In his tribute, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, said the Ijaw nation was blessed to have had a father in the mould of Clark, who was known for his fearlessness, courage, intelligence and love for his people and Nigeria as a whole.
According to Senator Diri, “we are not mourning but celebrating the good deeds of Chief Clark.
“l like us to take a cue from his steadfastness and love for his people as he always spoke about the unity, and development of the Ijaw people until his last moments.”
The Bayelsa governor disclosed that the state executive council had constituted a committee to consider naming iconic structures and streets after living and dead prominent Ijaw personalities like the late Clark, Jonathan and Dickson among others as part of efforts to immortalise them.
He urged Ijaws to demonstrate genuine love for one another and not only for political gains.
“Let us go back to the days when we had no fences in our villages where we lived a communal life of freedom and justice. There are those who have sacrificed their lives for us so that we will have a homogeneous Ijaw state. One of those who fought for the creation of Bayelsa was Pa Clark.”
In his remarks, Senator Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West in the National Assembly, noted that Clark was a voice respected across the country due to his selflessness.
He said the Ijaws lost one of their best as he lived his entire life for service of his people and prayed that such a leader would emerge from the ethnic group again.
The INC president, Prof. Okaba, eulogised Clark as a supreme advocate and fearless defender of the marginalised, describing him as an irrepressible voice for the voiceless and a pillar of national unity whose legacy transcended the realm of politics.
He said his passage should be a reminder of the collective responsibility to build a Nigeria that is just, equitable and prosperous for all.
Okaba also stated that the late nonagenarian was one of the few notable champions of the Ijaw struggle whose influence transcended regional boundaries in Nigeria and beyond, saying he was an extraordinary personality.
In eulogising the late elder statesman, chairman of the Bayelsa traditional rulers council, King Bubaraye Dakolo, said his legacies will endure in the hearts of all Ijaws and people of other ethnic nationalities.
King Dakolo lauded Clark for his selflessness and said his voice was the loudest and audacious in Nigeria in speaking truth to power for justice and equity.
Also, national chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, (PANDEF), Dr. Godknows Igali, captured the late sage’s last moments, revealing that the departed Ijaw icon urged his people to stay united, strong and never give up.
He said Clark embodied the essence of the Ijaw man and always professed his identity.
The first son of the deceased, Pinaowei Clark, read the only Bible lesson from Ecclesiastes 3:1-6.
President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Comrade Jonathan Lokpobiri, also paid glowing tributes to the late Ijaw national leader.
Chief Clark died on February 17 this year at the age of 97.
Present at the event were the Bayelsa Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi, former Nigeria’s First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, House of Representatives member for Sagbama-Ekeremor federal constituency, Dr. Fred Agbedi, state legislators, members of the state executive council among other top government functionaries and dignitaries.
