An elder statesman from the Niger Delta, Chairman of Southern/Middlebelt Leaders’ Forum, and Leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin. K. Clark, has revealed owners of a construction company indicted in the audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) of over N7.9 billion abandoned contract submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari last week by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio. Clark, who in a statement disclosed that he is currently in the United Kingdom (UK), was provoked to reveal the identities of the shareholders and directors of the company to disgrace those who linked him to the indicted company.
Chief E. K. Clark in the statement titled: “Who is afraid of 94-year-old E. K. Clark”, referred to the allegation that he owns a construction company, Genuine Construction Engineering Ltd, indicted in the NDDC audit report of being awarded a contract for shoreline protection project in 2010 in the sum of N7,973,336,024.75.
Clark decried that the allegation was made in 2020 which he aptly refuted but decided not to reveal the owners and directors of the company. He noted that distractors and political jobbers want to blackmail and intimidate him over his leadership of regional groups from the Niger Delta to the North Central, as well as his advocacy for restructuring and a better Nigeria.
Clark maintained that those after him have failed and will continue to fail.
Clark declared: “I have just read the mischievous, false and ludicrous allegation made against me, Sen. Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, in the various media, particularly, the social media, which was brought to my attention, that I own, or I am associated with a certain company named – Genuine Construction Engineering Ltd – which was awarded a contract for shoreline protection project, which was captured in the Budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in 2010, amounting to the sum of N7,973,336,024.75, and situated at Ogbolomabiri Community in the Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, and that 90% of the contract sum was released to me.
“These malicious, wicked and fabricated allegations are not true. We have been down this road before.
“These same jobbers who are hired to lie against me, a 94-year-old man, had earlier, about a year ago, spread these false rumours to tarnish my reputation, but their lies fell flat on their faces. At that time, I promptly refuted their allegations against me on the 7th and 8th of August 2020, through my Lawyer, Barrister Olukayode (Dr.) Ajulo. His rebuttal was advertised in the Vanguard Newspaper of 9th August, 2020.”
“I am presently in the United Kingdom, from where my attention was drawn to this fabricated, cruel and malicious publication of what I will now like to describe as a yearly ritual for those who are afraid of me, and of course their cohorts, commentators and warped, jobless and ignorant politicians, who have promptly made several comments in favour of an untrue story, believing that they can browbeat me, or stop me from making public statements on national issues, particularly, on the mandatory need to restructure Nigeria, either in my position as elder statesman; Chairman, Southern/Middlebelt Leaders’ Forum and as Leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).”
the elder statesman ridiculed his distractors, saying: “Well shame to these traducers because they have failed woefully and will continue to fail.
“Whom God has blessed; no man can curse. No human being created by God either in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world, can or will succeed in blackmailing me to submission. It is not a boast, it is a humble appreciation of God’s mercies and blessings, which have been bestowed upon me.”
Clark highlighted: “I deliberately did not instruct my Lawyer to name the owners and Directors of the said Genuine Construction Engineering Ltd, when the allegations were first made last year, because the information is there in public domain as provided by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and at the NDDC Office, which knows to whom it awarded the contract.”
He further stated: “I expected these cruel and intellectually lazy commentators and politicians to have done their research before putting their mouth, or should I say their fingers, to make comments and type on a matter they know nothing about.
“Also, the owners and Directors of the said company, have decided, for reasons best known to them, to remain silent.
“I have, therefore, decided, after intensive investigation, to disclose the ownership of the said Genuine Construction Engineering Ltd, and the particulars of its directors.”
Edwin Clark highlighted: “the principal Shareholder/Directors of Genuine Construction Engineering Ltd, which was incorporated in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, with Registration Number 665917, registered on 6th September, 2006, with its registered office address as Plot 11, Bodo Street, GRA Phase II, Port Harcourt, has Pelfaco Ltd, Gesi Asamaowei and Brenda Asamaowei as owners, Directors and key management personnel.
“Pelfaco Ltd was also incorporated in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, with Registration Number 119511. It was registered on 26th October 1988, with its office address as 7, Afam Street, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Its Shareholders, Directors and key management personnel are Mr. Ebigesiye Pele A., Pele E. Afa and Gesi Asamaowei.”
Elder statesman Clark, accordingly, dissociated himself from ownership or any link with the indicted company. He cautioned those making the spurious allegations against him without getting the details of the issue.
He, therefore, declared: “I do not have any foreshore protection contract at Ogbolomabiri in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
“ I do not have any connections or association, whatsoever, with the said company, Genuine Construction Engineering Ltd.
“I wish to reassure my family, friends, associates and fellow compatriots, who believe and trust me, that I am completely innocent of all these accusations linking me with the said company, Genuine Construction Engineering Ltd.
“I issue this notice as a final warning and advice to the purveyors of the fake news, to desist from maligning and tarnishing my name.
“This warning also goes to those who make unfounded comments in support of lies thrown against innocent persons without bothering to find out the truth. “It will be recalled that such a warning was contained in the public notice issued last year by my Lawyer when this same malicious, mischievous, and unfounded allegation was made against me, as reflected by the said publication…”