Monday May 12, 2025 |

Former President Goodluck Jonathan and a host of Ijaw leaders on Monday paid glowing tributes to the late Ijaw nationalist and elder statesman, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, describing him as a selfless icon who lived a life of service to his people and country.

At the commendation service and lying-in-state held at Ijaw House, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Dr. Jonathan said Chief Clark’s legacy transcended ethnicity and region, calling for unity among the Ijaw people as the best way to honour him.

“From Arogbo in Ondo to Eastern Obolo in Akwa Ibom, the key way to honour Clark is unity. He was a voice for the Niger Delta and even the oppressed Middle Belt and other regions,” Jonathan said.

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, described the late Clark as a courageous and intelligent patriarch whose dedication to the Ijaw cause remains unmatched. Diri announced plans by his administration to immortalise Clark by naming streets and structures in the state after him.

“We’re not mourning; we’re celebrating a life well spent. Clark lived and died for the unity and progress of the Ijaw nation,” Diri said.

He also charged Ijaws to return to a culture of love and communal solidarity, noting that the late sage was instrumental in the agitation that led to the creation of Bayelsa State.

Former Governor and serving Senator Seriake Dickson said Clark was one of the Ijaw nation’s greatest voices who dedicated his life to the service of his people.

“His was a life of consistent struggle and sacrifice. May his type rise again in our lifetime,” Dickson stated.

President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba, hailed Clark as a fearless defender of the oppressed, while PANDEF national chairman, Dr. Godknows Igali, recounted the icon’s final message urging unity and resilience among the Ijaw people.

Also present were former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, Bayelsa Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, IYC President Jonathan Lokpobiri, and other top officials and dignitaries.

Clark, who died on February 17 at the age of 97, will be immortalised by the Bayelsa State Government for his lasting legacy in the Ijaw and Niger Delta struggle.