Elder statesman and Niger Delta leader, Pa Edwin Clark, who died on Monday, at the age of 97, left behind a legacy that will be difficult to fill in years to come.
The Niger-Delta leader was many things to many people but there are things many do not know about him.
The late Pa Edwin Clark who was the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), was a foremost Nigerian nationalist, elder statesman, lawyer and an influential political leader from the Niger Delta, who was widely recognised for his unwavering advocacy for the region’s rights and development and his significant contributions to Nigeria’s political landscape.
He was born on May 25, 1927, in Kiagbodo, now in Delta State, and began his early education at African Church School in 1938. He later attended Government Teachers Training College, Abraka, and between 1961 and 1964, Pa Clark studied law at Holborn College, United Kingdom.
Pa Clark delved into the political world when he was elected a councillor to represent Bomadi in 1953 and from there, has held several key government positions both at the local and national levels.
He was the Commissioner for Education for the Mid-Western Region from 1968-1972, Commissioner for Finance and Establishment for Bendel State from 1972-1975 and Federal Commissioner for Information in 1975.
As the Commissioner for Education in the Mid-Western Region, he was pivotal in the establishment of the Mid-West Institute of Technology, which later became the University of Benin.
As an advocate for good governance, Pa Clark became a voice to reckon with in the Niger Delta, and was in the forefront of advocating for better resource control for the people of the region, environmental protection and economic development for the region.
He was a key figure in the formation of the PANDEF and the Ijaw National Congress (INC), and consistently fought for policies that favoured the region’s growth.
As an educationist, Pa Clark founded the Edwin Clark University in Kiagbodo, Delta State, to nurture future generations and with his demise, is leaving behind a legacy of advocacy, education and an unrelenting pursuit of justice and equity for both the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole.