A
abujagirl
Guest
Dr. Bisola Clark, wife of Ijaw chieftain, Chief Edwin Clark yesterday said that Iyabo Obasanjo simply walked away after her(Mrs Clark's) two children died in her(Iyabo's) place.
Mrs. Clark was not married to Chief Clark when her two children; Adeife, 10 and Akinola, 14, were killed while riding in Iyabo’s vehicle on April 20, 2003, a day after that year’s presidential election won by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The children and their mother were with Iyabo and were heading out to celebrate former President Olusegun Obasanjo's victory in the 2003 elections.
Narrating part of the incident, Mrs Clark said, " At some point in the journey Miss Iyabo Obasanjo had suggested that my children should join her car with her police orderly and an elderly member of Iyabo’s family who was travelling with her on that day and her driver, while Iyabo and I drove in the car of my friend who voluntarily came to pick me up to go to Igbogun, because my driver failed to show up on that day".
The two children along with three other occupants of that car were brutally murdered during that trip.
According to Vanguard, Mrs Clark said she was moved to open up after ten years when Iyabo in her letter to her father cited the incidence as a traumatic experience which eventually spurred her into public service.
Mrs. Clark in a five page statement made available to Vanguard said their neglect of her and her feelings betrayed a lack of genuine compassion for Nigeria or Nigerians as reflected in famous open letters by the two on issues about Nigeria last December.
"Her actions and inactions since then would seem to indicate that she never truly appreciated the gravity of what happened that day", Mrs Clark wrote.
"I had kept quiet about this incident for all these years but when I read Iyabo’s letter to her father, in which she alluded to the incident, I felt that the time had come for me to break my silence for the sake of posterity. On that fateful day, my two children’s lives were taken instead of Iyabo Obasanjo who was the daughter of a sitting President at the time.
"Up till now, justice is yet to be served, ten years after the incident. At the inauguration of the foundation which I established in memory of the children, I recall that no single member of President Obasanjo’s family, not even Iyabo, in whose place my children died, attended the launch of the foundation".
Mrs Clark went on to write,"This was even though the former President had through his Chief of Staff Gen Abdullahi promised to be present at the event. In the end, Gen. Obasanjo sent his then Minister of State for Women’s Affairs (Miss Funke Adedoyin). I also vividly recall my mother sorrowfully remarking that the Obasanjos had reduced the death of her grandchildren to a ‘women’s affair’ issue. The theme of setting up the foundation was to immortalize the names of Adeife and Akinola but painfully Gen. Obasanjo and Iyabo never got involved. Quite sadly, they never did anything in this regard and never took part in any of the various activities we organized at that point in time or since then.
In response to Mrs Clark, Iyabo told Vanguard that there is no way that Bisola can ever be compensated for any of her two children and regretted the emotional pains the incidence would have and may still be causing her.
She said, "As often alluded to, the loss of a child is the worst emotional pain we as humans can have. I don’t aim to undermine her loss but how does any society help someone deal with the loss of a child. I participated as a member of the board of the foundation for the children when it started and contributed funds at the start-up. I was not invited to the formal launch of the foundation and I was not in the country when it occurred. The impression I was given was that it was for huge donors to give money and I didn’t have that kind of money to give. The foundation was a family foundation and my interference in its handling was not appreciated which I understood".
Iyabo added that she referred to the incident in her open letter to her father because the incident is still very traumatic to her. She also added that the reason she got involved in governance was to prevent such senseless acts of violence from occurring ever again.
Iyabo concluded by saying, "Whether the gunmen intended to kill me or were just after the car as some have alluded to (this would be a strange way to steal a car, by putting 50 bullet holes in it). I have resolved will never be known. I don’t know what Mrs Clark will want me to do for her. If there is a way to not have those children or anyone else in the car that day, I would go back through time and do it or just even sit in my own car. I was happy to see a picture of her getting married recently on the internet and I wish her the best married life can offer".
Mrs. Clark was not married to Chief Clark when her two children; Adeife, 10 and Akinola, 14, were killed while riding in Iyabo’s vehicle on April 20, 2003, a day after that year’s presidential election won by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The children and their mother were with Iyabo and were heading out to celebrate former President Olusegun Obasanjo's victory in the 2003 elections.
Narrating part of the incident, Mrs Clark said, " At some point in the journey Miss Iyabo Obasanjo had suggested that my children should join her car with her police orderly and an elderly member of Iyabo’s family who was travelling with her on that day and her driver, while Iyabo and I drove in the car of my friend who voluntarily came to pick me up to go to Igbogun, because my driver failed to show up on that day".
The two children along with three other occupants of that car were brutally murdered during that trip.
According to Vanguard, Mrs Clark said she was moved to open up after ten years when Iyabo in her letter to her father cited the incidence as a traumatic experience which eventually spurred her into public service.
Mrs. Clark in a five page statement made available to Vanguard said their neglect of her and her feelings betrayed a lack of genuine compassion for Nigeria or Nigerians as reflected in famous open letters by the two on issues about Nigeria last December.
"Her actions and inactions since then would seem to indicate that she never truly appreciated the gravity of what happened that day", Mrs Clark wrote.
"I had kept quiet about this incident for all these years but when I read Iyabo’s letter to her father, in which she alluded to the incident, I felt that the time had come for me to break my silence for the sake of posterity. On that fateful day, my two children’s lives were taken instead of Iyabo Obasanjo who was the daughter of a sitting President at the time.
"Up till now, justice is yet to be served, ten years after the incident. At the inauguration of the foundation which I established in memory of the children, I recall that no single member of President Obasanjo’s family, not even Iyabo, in whose place my children died, attended the launch of the foundation".
Mrs Clark went on to write,"This was even though the former President had through his Chief of Staff Gen Abdullahi promised to be present at the event. In the end, Gen. Obasanjo sent his then Minister of State for Women’s Affairs (Miss Funke Adedoyin). I also vividly recall my mother sorrowfully remarking that the Obasanjos had reduced the death of her grandchildren to a ‘women’s affair’ issue. The theme of setting up the foundation was to immortalize the names of Adeife and Akinola but painfully Gen. Obasanjo and Iyabo never got involved. Quite sadly, they never did anything in this regard and never took part in any of the various activities we organized at that point in time or since then.
In response to Mrs Clark, Iyabo told Vanguard that there is no way that Bisola can ever be compensated for any of her two children and regretted the emotional pains the incidence would have and may still be causing her.
She said, "As often alluded to, the loss of a child is the worst emotional pain we as humans can have. I don’t aim to undermine her loss but how does any society help someone deal with the loss of a child. I participated as a member of the board of the foundation for the children when it started and contributed funds at the start-up. I was not invited to the formal launch of the foundation and I was not in the country when it occurred. The impression I was given was that it was for huge donors to give money and I didn’t have that kind of money to give. The foundation was a family foundation and my interference in its handling was not appreciated which I understood".
Iyabo added that she referred to the incident in her open letter to her father because the incident is still very traumatic to her. She also added that the reason she got involved in governance was to prevent such senseless acts of violence from occurring ever again.
Iyabo concluded by saying, "Whether the gunmen intended to kill me or were just after the car as some have alluded to (this would be a strange way to steal a car, by putting 50 bullet holes in it). I have resolved will never be known. I don’t know what Mrs Clark will want me to do for her. If there is a way to not have those children or anyone else in the car that day, I would go back through time and do it or just even sit in my own car. I was happy to see a picture of her getting married recently on the internet and I wish her the best married life can offer".