Clark, Adebanjo and Iwuanyanwu— The End of an Era

The death of Chief (Dr.) Sen. Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, OFR, CON, the Ijaw National Leader, Leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF and National Leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum SMBLF, on Monday, February 17, 2025, marks the end of an enviable era in the political discourse of Nigeria. The death of Clark followed closely after the death of yet another Titan, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the National Leader of Afenifere and the Deputy Leader of the SMBLF on February 14, 2025. The two deceased had late last year mourned the death of Chief Engr. Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, MFR, OFR, CFR, FNSE,FNICE, FNSE, FNIST, KSC (Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo) the former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide. The SMBLF comprises the PANDEF, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, and the Middle Belt Forum with Clark, Adebanjo, Iwuanyanwu and Dr. Bitrus Porgu as leaders, respectively. The meetings which attract the prominent dignitaries of the South-South, South-East, South West and Midddle Belt always hold at the Asokoro residence of Chief E. K .Clark.

The major ideology of the SMBLF is to enthrone a restructured prosperous Nigeria where the rule of Law, equity and justice shall thrive. The SMBLF laments the socio-economic condition of Nigerians; a country well-endowed with abundant natural, material and human resources yet the citizenry are in abject poverty. The SMBLF expresses deep concern that if the rate of corruption in Nigeria and the concomitant borrowings by the federal government continue unabated, the Nigerian masses and the generations unborn will be exposed to the worst of human conditions on earth. Amongst the issues that agitate the SMBLF are self-aggrandizement, display of obscene wealth, and all forms of impunity by the powers that be. The scariest of the problems is the destruction of farms and the violent invasion of communities by the Fulani herdsmen. The release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by the federal government has remained a constant agenda in the SMBLF meetings.

Nigeria is a bizarre country that thrives on abnormalities and contraries. It is a country where the votes cast in any election are more than the accredited voters. It is a country where the public office holders pillory the state with impunity; and where the rogues in power are celebrated even in the Churches. And the Pastors impoverish the laity and go ahead to flaunt opulent lifestyles. It is a country where a bank account can grow from One Naira to a Billion Naira in one day, and nobody cares. It is a country where the reptiles swallow billions of public funds. Perhaps, the only country, where the opposition party abdicates its responsibilities; a polity where the politicians win elections into the state and national assemblies on the platform of an opposition party only to join the ruling party without scruples; and where the conscience of the legislature, the organ of the government that should checkmate the executive excesses, is mortgaged with exotic flashy cars and mind-boggling humungous money. It is a country that the first-class university graduates are denied employment in favour of school dropouts, on account of ethnicity. It is a country where the leaders of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)-an organization charged with the responsibility of enforcing all economic and financial crimes in Nigeria and the recovery of loots from the unconscionable looters- will turn around to steal the recovered loots. Yet, a country the security operatives connive with criminals to inflict mayhem on the citizens. A country where the most corrupt are sanctimoniously preaching against corruption. It is also the country where a federal system of government was converted to an absurd unified federal system through a military fiat, and so on….

At a point, the SMBLF was the only strident voice, the only opposition, against President Muhammadu Buhari extremities and indeed the conscience of Nigerians. The SMBLF rose against the clandestine moves by Buhari to install another Northerner as president after his eight-year tenure. The Forum called on the Buhari government to embark on the Eastern rail line with a standard gauge; and queried the essence of the $1.9bn Kano-Maradi rail project at the expense of the poor infrastructure in Nigeria. When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed Office, the SMBLF “warned Tinubu against treating the organized violence in Northern Nigeria the same way his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, did”. The Forum in an open letter to Tinubu, plainly “accused the Buhari administration of allegedly indulging the bloodletting in the northern part of the country, etc.” Furthermore, the Forum has insisted that the Nigerian constitution is a faulty document that does not enjoy the legitimacy of the citizenry; and that the founding fathers of Nigeria envisaged a country that can only survive on a true fiscal federalism. It is convenient to add that it was the only group that spoke truth to power. In other words, any communique by the SMBLF was a wake-up call to the government and Nigerians.

During the 2023 general election, the Forum stood vehemently for Mr. Peter Obi for two major reasons. The group maintained that for any country to have a sustainable development, its foundation must be anchored on equity and social justice. The group argued and maintained that going by the rotation and zoning principles which have been entrenched in the Nigerian democracy, it is the turn of the South East to produce a president for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The second reason was that Mr. Peter Obi presented an attractive blue print and manifesto that will transform Nigeria from a consumption to a production economy.