16 things you probably don’t know about the late Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark

Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, a prominent leader from the South-South and former Federal Commissioner for Information, has died.

Clark, age 97, died on Monday night, February 17, 2025.

Prof. C.C Clark personally signed a statement on behalf of the family, which he made available to newsmen.

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,”

Here are 16 things you probably don’t know about the late Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark: 

• Edwin Clark was born on 25th of May, 1927.
• He is a Nigerian statesman, Ijaw leader and politician from Delta State.
• He was born in Kiagbodo, in the Ijaw area of what is now Delta State.
• He attended primary and secondary schools at Effurun, Okrika and Afugbene before completing further studies at the Government Teacher Training College, which later became Delta State University, Abraka.
• He worked briefly as a school teacher before traveling abroad to earn a law degree.
• He was an elder brother to the Nigerian poet J. P. Clark.
• He was a member of an advisory committee to the military governor of the Mid-Western Region province, David Ejoor in 1966.
• He was appointed Federal Commissioner of Information in 1975.
• He was elected as Councillor for Bomadi in 1953.
• He was a member of the national executive committee of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) during the second republic.
• He was the treasurer of the party in Bendel State (now, in part, Delta State and previously the Mid-Western Region province).
• In 1983, he was an elected senator for three months at the twilight of the Shagari administration.
• Since 1996, he has been a self-described leader of the Ijaw Nation.
• He is the founder of Edwin Clark University which was established in 2015.
• He was among a group of delegates from the Mid-West who opposed any ideas of confederation that were raised at an ad-hoc constitutional conference set up by Gowon in 1966.
• As commissioner for education, he was active in the establishment of a Mid-west College of Technology that became the foundation of the University of Benin.