Barely three weeks after the death of a prominent leader of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Pa Ayo Adebanjo at the age of 96, the family of Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, a former Federal Commissioner for Information and prominent South-South leader, announced his passing away at the age of 97.
According to a statement signed by Prof. C.C. Clark on behalf of the family, the elder statesman died on Monday night, February 17, 2025.
The statement reads, ““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.”
Clark was an astute politician, an elder stateman, a lawyer, administrator, nationalist, freedom fighter and a relentless advocate for the rights of the Niger Delta.
He served as Commissioner for Education in the Mid-Western Region from 1968 to 1971, and later as Commissioner for Finance and Establishment in the defunct Bendel State between 1972 and 1975.
He was appointed Commissioner for Information in 1975 and subsequently, became a Senator from 1979 to 1983.
Clark was a leading voice for regional and national unity: the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the South-South Peoples Assembly, and the Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF).
His advocacy for resource control, fiscal federalism, and the development of the oil-rich Niger Delta region earned him both national recognition and respect across Nigeria’s geopolitical divides.
