Wogu Boms seems to thread even where angels fear. Not many persons dare challenge the Ijaw legend, but the Elekahia Port Harcourt-born attorney wasted no time in throwing fierce arrows in the direction of the onetime federal minister.
Clark had written last week to caution some Ijaw sons and daughters who have pitched camp against Gov Sim Fubara of Rivers State in his battle with his godfather, Nyesom Wike.
Wogu served Wike as Attorney-General. He fired back. Clark had traced the history of the struggle of the Ijaw and the Niger Delta and concluded that it was the Ijaw that have been paying all the price.
He further concluded that whereas many say Wike made Fubara (an Ijaw) governor, they must realise that Goodluck Jonathan (an Ijaw), made Wike governor, and that Tonye Graham Dauglas made an upland man, Peter Odili, governor. The elder statesman cautioned the likes of George Sekibo from Okrika to stop creating a narrative that favours Ikwerre and Wike.
Boms bombed the Ijaw legend pointing out that it is about a challenge of our era is how to foster intellectual and political culture that is driven by reason rather than by tribalism and mutual reaction.
Boms argued that Clark should have striven, despite his being champion for his tribe, to speak as a statesman that he evidently and eminently is. “But he spoke less of that capacity. Former President Jonathan, far younger, did far better in urging the feuding Political-God-father- Wike and Political-God-son- Gov Sim to make peace for the sake of the state they once mutually, together, governed and are now singularly and exclusively governing. I expected Pa Clark to have done so and even better. This is disappointing to me personally, though he owes me no duty to meet my expectation. Still, as a statesman, which he eminently is, the manner of the Pan- my-tribe presentation, which he did, I found totally diminishing of that status.”
He deviated to tackle Clark for giving the impression that only his clan’s men died for Rivers State during the Nigerian civil war. He named an Ikwerre soldier he said was killed by the Biafrans.
“If the support of the first category is, for Pa Clark, anything to go by, then, all the more so the support of this second category as it is their principled support for the minister’s side that roused Pa Clark to intervening on behalf of his tribe.
“Although Pa Clark stated that it should not be taken that his tribe is against any other, his entire presentation gives evidence to the contrary.”
He said: “In my view, what is needed now is Jonathan-like approach of intervention followed by concrete action in that regard and not this preaching of tribal loyalty which is an ill-wind that will blow no one any good.”
