Yenagoa, Bayelsa State – a solemn tide swept through Bayelsa today as the funeral train of Chief (Dr.) Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, CON—an elder statesman, nationalist, and voice of justice—made a historic stopover in Yenagoa en route to his final resting place in Kiagbodo, Delta State.
The body of Pa Clark, revered across Nigeria for his unflinching advocacy for the Niger Delta and unyielding commitment to the unity of the nation, arrived at the Bayelsa International Airport where it was received with a blend of reverence and reflection by dignitaries, traditional leaders, and a sea of mourners from all walks of life.
Among those who came to pay their final respects was Nigeria’s former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who joined the Bayelsa State Government and thousands of Ijaw sons and daughters to honour the memory of a man widely considered the political father of the region.
“My family and I joined many from Bayelsa, Ijaw Land, the Niger Delta, and other Nigerians to receive the body of Pa Clark at Bayelsa International Airport and pay our respects during the Commendation Service, which held at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa,” Dr. Jonathan stated.
The Ijaw House, the symbolic home of Ijaw heritage, stood dignified as hymns, tributes, and cultural performances poured forth in a spirited farewell. Speakers hailed Clark’s decades of fearless leadership and unrelenting defense of the Ijaw identity and the rights of minorities in Nigeria.
In his lifetime, Pa Clark was not merely a politician; he was a pillar of conscience. From the trenches of Nigeria’s early struggles for independence to the corridors of power in modern democracy, his voice resonated as a moral compass. His relentless pursuit of justice, particularly for the oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta, carved a legacy that generations will remember.
As the funeral train continues to Kiagbodo for his internment on Tuesday, the spirit of Pa Edwin Clark lingers—etched not just in the soil of the Delta but in the heart of a grateful nation.
May his soul find eternal rest.
