The Posthumous Honour Clark Deserves

Am disappointed at the hasty ‘notice me’ visit PANDEF paid to the National Assembly in the guise of informing Senate of the passing of Chief E K Clark.

That was a fawning sycophancy, more so nauseating after the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, told the visitors they were preparing to send a delegation in condolence visit to the Clarks.

Clark is too much of a nationalist to require a family or PANDEF’s visit, even to the President to notify government of his passing.

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We’re neither excited about the Akpabio making a big deal of the Senate pledging to “fully participate” in Clark’s funeral as if such would be some big favour accorded Clark, family and the South-South.

We equally find it beggarly to hear stakeholders already campaigning for federal government to immortalise Clark by naming landmarks after him.

These anxieties are totally uncalled for. Government does not need any prompting to accord Clark befitting funeral, paying of last respect or immortalise him. For us, we are not interested in how much government glorifies Clark with cheap tributes in death.

The honour Clark needs is not Akpabio scoring cheap political point with a Senate contingent to the funeral. It isn’t much in government naming national assets after him.

In death, the real honour Clark deserves is on federal government executing lingering East West Road to enviable completion. It is interconnecting South South states with effective rail network.

Clark soul would be gladdened if the moribund refineries are not only revived, but more refineries are built, including encouragement of modular refineries, CNG Plants and Gas turbines in the South-South where the proximity to crude oil and gas supply give the South South comparative advantage to refine and compress at the least cost.

It is of government giving the South South more sense of belonging in the distribution of the enormous wealth from the region.

PANDEF was E.K Clark and without Clark PANDEF is worthless and irrelevant. We agree no person will live for ever. Clark is an institution. The bunch of PANDEF board of Trustees combined are not equal to E.K Clark.

The ‘Notice Me’ visit to Senate was totally uncalled for. Did the Afenifere pay visit to National Assembly to inform lawmakers of the passing of Pa Ayo Adebanjo?

E.K Clark was foremost leader of the South-South and he played the role to the peak though federal government refused to honour him with completion of the East West Road.

It wasn’t every direction Pa Clark took, every opinion he expressed, every cause he fought we were overwhelmed with. But in his passing, we are resolute on one position.

The best honour he deserves from government is for the government to begin to actualize his agitation for transformation of the South South. Period.

Zik Gbemre
February 24,2025

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