WHY IS CHIEF CLARK ALWAYS ANGRY?

FROM RIGHT, DELTA STATE GOVERNOR, DR. EMMANUEL UDUAGHAN, CHIEF E. K. CLARK AND ELDER GODSDAY ORUBEBE, WHEN THE GOVERNOR VISITED THE COUNTRY HOME OF CLARK AT KIAGBODO, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2007.

ANGER MANAGEMENT AS A PANACEA FOR PEACE

“In your anger do not sin”:

Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry”

Ephesians 4:26 (NIV)

In a recent interview, Executive Governor of Delta State, His Excellency Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan said he intends to hold a Seminar on Anger Management. This is a welcomed development as we all need some measure of discipline in the management of our attitude to moderate our often negative, harsh and violent reaction to issues. The root of our negative attitude has always been ANGER.

What is Anger? The dictionary defines anger as “a strong feeling which makes you want to hurt someone or be unpleasant because of something unfair or hurtful that has happened. Anger has its purpose and many times it can be very useful that is why the Bible says “Be ye angry: and sin not” (KJV)

We can be angry at an unpleasant situation, a problem, an issue and do everything possible to remedy the situation. African Americans anger towards Slavery and segregation, South Africans anger towards Apartheid, Nigerians anger against colonialism. As William Arthur Ward pointed out “It is wise to direct your anger towards problems – not people; to focus your energies on answers – not excuses.”

It was Aristotle who said “Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”

That is the caveat, anger with control. Our politicians are bad losers, in our anger we utter many times very provocative words and when the crisis starts we claim ignorance and pretend to be ambassadors of peace. We let anger has the better of us; we see doom when it has not yet come. Sen. Bola Tinubu said of the Ekiti Polls “Rig and Roast”, Gen. Buhari said of the 2015 Elections “ the Dog and the Baboon will be soaked in Blood” all statements can be traced to Anger. We need to manage our Anger for the National Good.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. To me, it’s more important than facts, it’s more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill; it will make or break a company …… a Church ……. A Home……. (A Party). The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. We cannot change our past…..we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have and that is our ATTITUDE.  I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you…… we are in charge of our ATTITUDE.” ~ Charles R. Swindoll

I have maintained that a politician who calls a press conference or writes an open letter to a fellow Politician when that politician is but a call away is playing to the gallery. How do you explain former President Obasanjo writing an Open letter to the President when from his own admission he helped installed him in office and the man is but a phone call away?

Coming closer home; how do you explain why the father of the Ijaw Nation, Chief E. k. Clark, calls an enlarged press conference and have in attendance Peoples Democratic party Delta State Chairman Chief Peter Nwaoboshi only to announce his Opposition to former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei and Elder Godsday Peter Orubebe’s interest in the Gubernatorial race for Government House Asaba come 2015? Playing to the gallery of course, especially when he claims to have helped Elder Orubebe become a Minister and Elder Orubebe is but a phone call away. According to the report Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark was visibly angry. Chief Clark did not call a Press Conference to address the many challenges facing the Ijaw Nation and in particular his own Local Government Area – Burutu, but to oppose a supposed son running for public office. Is it not the wish of fathers for their Children to achieve more than they have achieved? Or is Chief Clark saying only his Biological Children deserve his support for elective office? 

Papa Clark while celebrating his 78^th Birthday had remarked that he is in the departure lounge, while we continue to Pray for long life for our Father Clark, we need to ask if he intends to leave behind a Divided Ijaw Nation and in particular Burutu Local Government Area?

Today the PDP in Burutu is a divided House. But it seems our father Clark thrives on a divided houses. It was the same divided PDP he used as his vehicle in his opposition to Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan re election bid when the court of Appeal nullified his 2007 election victory and ordered a re-run. Chief Clark had said then that “the Appeal Court has vindicated his claim that there was no election in the State in 2007, calling on anti – corruption agencies to immediately arrest the ex-governor then.

“Election into the governorship seat was never held in Delta State. Uduaghan was never our Governor, and PDP cannot win the re-run election with him. We have rejected him and will continue to reject him. We are all in the Peoples Democratic Party, but it was not a PDP Government that was removed, because majority of the PDP members opposed Uduaghan” he said

But against the odds His Excellency went on to win that re-run election as he did won despite Chief Clark’s opposition in 2007 and have won every appeal against it. Perhaps with his wealth of experience, which His Excellency intends to pass on to the younger generation as he also stated in the said interview - particularly in handling Chief Clark, he will use the same magic wand with which he won Papa Clark to his way of reasoning that today Chief Clark calls him “My Son” to ensure that he bequeath to thousands of PDP faithfuls in Delta State a unified party. The first port of call is the leadership impasse in the Burutu Local Government PDP Executive and while you are at it your Excellency let’s fast track that Anger Management Seminar, we all need it.