Clark contributed greatly to Nigeria’s socio-cultural development – Gbagi

Former Minister of State for Education, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, has described the Late John Pepper Clark, as one who contributed immensely to the nation’s social-cultural development.

Gbagi in a statement to the media on Friday, eulogized the deceased poet, a younger brother to Nigeria’s former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark.

According to him, Pepper Clark’s works, particularly on events of the Nigeria-Biafra war — Casualties: Poems, and A Decade of Tongues, a collection of 74 poems, remains a legacy that would continue to illuminate the minds of Nigeria’s creatives.

“I consider the demise of Pepper Clark a huge loss to the Nigerian Academia. His contributions to the country’s socio-cultural development cannot be quantified, as his works remain indelible in our memories.

“Famous for his much-eulogised poem “Ibadan”, Clark was able to draw on aesthetic and cultural autonomy in his earliest poems as a form of protest against colonial hegemony.

“In a subtle but brilliant way, he was able to relive the cultural history of the Ijaw people in his dramatic works: The Raft (1964); Ozidi (1966); and The Boat (1981).

“John Pepper Clark through his works will continue to live in the hearts and minds of Nigerians. May God Almighty grant him eternal rest”, Gbagi said.