Edwin Clark is a true Nationalist, Governor Bala Mohammed

TRACKING___The Bauchi State Governor said that having had the opportunity of working closely with Chief Edwin Clark, he came to a conclusion by saying that he is a true nationalist.

According to the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, despite Chief Clark’s popularity and connections, he was surprised to see him living in a rented modest house in Abuja, while people were allocating houses and plots of land to their family members, friends and cronies who have not served this country up to a quarter, the way the Elderstateman has done.

Governor Bala Mohammed spoke yesterday in Abuja when he a paid a visit to the Ijaw Leader over the death of his younger brother, the renowned poet and playwright, Professor John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo who died on Tuesday, October 13, 2020.

Governor Bala Mohammed who noted that true nationalists should be appreciated in the country, especially when they are still alive, said that the act would help motivate others, adding, ” Chief Edwin Clark is the most misunderstood person in the country by those who do not know him well. But that having had the opportunity of working closely with Chief Edwin Clark, I know that he is a true nationalist.

“Despite Chief Clark’s popularity and connections, he was surprised to see him living in a rented modest house in Abuja, while people were allocating houses and plots of land to their family members, friends and cronies who have not served this country up to a quarter of the way Chief Clark has done and that was why I deemed it fit that a house be sold to Chief Edwin Clark in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and a Street named after him, during his tenure as FCT Minister.”

According to him, despite the fact that he is from the northern part of the country, Chief Clark is his father, and that he is quite confident and proud describing him as such, and also as his boss’s mentor.

Speaking on the late Poet and Playwright, the Bauchi State Governor who poured encomiums on him, said that even though the death of Professor John Pepper Clark was a big blow to the literary world, his works live on as they will be read continually by even generations yet unborn, as people will know that there was once a man years after his death.

The Governor said that the loss of Prof. J. P. Clark, and its attendant pains will not only felt by Clark’s family, but also by the people of Bauchi State, adding, ” Clark’s family has contributed a lot to the development of Nigeria in various aspects, as in the case of the late Prof. J. P. Clark, whose works, poems and poetry enriched the nation’s education curriculum.

He described himself as a beneficiary of the intellectualism of the late Prof. because as secondary school students, they read and acted his works and plays.

In his response, Chief Edwin Clark zwho thanked the Governor for the visit, also asked him to convey his sincere appreciation on behalf of the Clark-Bekederemo family to the people of Bauchi State.

According to the elderstatesman, the out pour of tributes to his late brother, Prof. J. P. Clark, both nationally and internationally, from President Muhammadu Buhari, to everybody else, is quite humbling and in fact, gives the family strong solace and consolation that the pleasant tributes, will remain as fond memories to the family.