Prominent Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark is dead

A prominent leader of the Ijaw ethnic nationality and former Federal Commissioner for Information, Edwin Clark, has been reported dead on Monday night at the age of 97 years, having been rushed to a private hospital in Abuja when had difficulty breathing on Saturday night.

Penpushing reports that this was made known on Tuesday by Prof C.C Clark on behalf of the family, who explained that other details will be made available by the family in due course

‘The Clark-Fuludu Bekederemo family of Kiagbodo Town, Delta State, wishes to announce the passing of Chief (Dr.) Sen. Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, OFR, CON, on Monday 17th February, 2025. The family appreciates your prayers at this time. Other details will be announced later by the family’, the statement said.

Penpushing further reports that the deceased was born on May 25, 1927 in Kiagbodo, an Ijaw-speaking area of Delta State in South-South Nigeria, and began his political career in 1953 when he was elected councillor of Bomadi in Delta state.

The late politician later joined the now-defunct National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons, a political party, before switching to the now-defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the second republic, and was a treasurer of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the old Bendel state.

Penpushing also reports that Clark until his death, led the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), an organisation of the people of Niger Delta dedicated to promoting and fostering inter-ethnic harmony and security in the region.

The deceased it is recalled in similar development led the South-South Peoples Assembly, and the Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum, and equally served as midwestern commissioner of education and later finance from 1966 to 1975.

Penpushing reports that he was in 1975 appointed as Federal Commissioner for Information in 1975 and later served as a Senator for three months in 1983 during the late President Shehu Shagari administration.

The late Ijaw leader spent the greater part of his life advocating for the rights and development of the oil-rich Niger Delta region, which has suffered environmental degradation caused by oil exploration.

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