By Salif Atojoko

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday said he was saddened by the death of a former Federal Commissioner for Information and leader of Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark.

The president extended his condolences to the Clark family, the Ijaw nation, the people of the Niger Delta and the government of Delta.

“President Tinubu mourns Chief Clark and describes his passing as a deeply sobering loss,” Mr Bayo Onanuga, his Spokesman, said in a statement.

Reflecting on the life of the late elder statesman, Tinubu said that he was a towering figure whose influence was felt across Nigeria’s political firmament for nearly six decades.

He described Clark as a courageous leader who stood for what he believed in and was never afraid to stand alone in the face of injustice.

”Chief Clark spoke for the Niger Delta. He spoke for the nation. His views and interventions on national issues were distinct and patriotic.

”Pa Clark, a lawyer and educationist, believed in a united Nigeria, and until his last breath, he never stopped reaching out to people from different parts of the country to work together to preserve national unity based on justice and equity.

”As an astute politician, his political opponents never doubted his words’ weight, confidence and conviction when he spoke. Indeed, a patriot has transitioned to the great beyond,” he said.

According to the president, history will remember Clark as a man who fought gallantly for the rights of the people of the Niger Delta, unity in diversity and true federalism.

”I know many generations will remain proud of how his contributions to national prosperity and stability,” said Tinubu.

He prayed for divine comfort for the Clark family, friends and all those affected by his significant death.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Clark was born on May 25, 1927, in Kiagbodo, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq