Clark blasts Oshiomhole over demolition of UNIBEN’s staff quarters

AN Ijaw leader and elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, has expressed indignation and surprise over the “unlawful, illegal and malicious destruction of the staff quarters of the University of Benin, by the Edo State government when the matter is in court.” In an open letter dated February 22, addressed to the Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, a copy of which was obtained by the Nigerian Tribune, Clark said he was embarrassed and shocked by some of the actions of Governor Oshiomhole. He said in the letter that the buildings Oshiomhole destroyed were property of the University of Benin in law and in fact challenged the governor to produce documents if otherwise. “You must remember the oath of office you took on assumption of office as a governor, as being just and fair in your decisions and actions. “In addition to being governor, you have been a defender of the oppressed as a unionist and for eight years, you were president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). “Nigerians love you for your uprightness and fair sense of justice, unfortunately, you have derailed of late,” Clark stated in the letter. The former Federal Minister of Information accused Oshiomhole of joining the “exotic club of some nonchallant governors, whose stock in trade is impunity and constant sabre- rattling in preparation to doing imaginary battles with the Federal Government and the regular breach of the constitution.” He said he was aware of the face-off between Governor Oshiomhole and the authorities of the University of Benin, which he said led to Oshiomhole supervising the demolition of the university’s staff quarters, which were donated to the university under the communal land tenure arrangements and not under the cumbersome Land Use Act. Clark said he has a genuine stake in the affairs of the University of Benin, as one of its founding fathers and a mentor who desired its continuous growth and progress. He said the wickedness that accompanied the demolition, where occupants were not given any opportunity to take their belongings was better imagined than experienced, saying it was a most callous and barbaric exercise designed to shatter the spirit and self esteem of the occupants. The buildings in question, he said were donated to the university by the Mid- West state government which later became Bendel State and now Edo/Delta states. The implication, he said, was that the buildings were assets that had been disposed effectively and permanently before Edo and Delta states were born. Clark said Oshiomhole had no right to demolish or acquire property of the Federal Government without appropriate negotiations and added that Oshiomhole’s action was a violation of the law. He advised Oshiomhole to, as a matter of reparation, rebuild the demolished houses immediately.