By LAWANI MAKAIRU
FCT Minister, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has extolled the late Professor Mariam Ikejiani-Clark as an outstanding Amazon of excellence who contributed her quota to the development of FCT and the nation at large especially during her tenure as the FCT Minister of State.

In a condolence message, Senator Bala Mohammed said he received with shock the news of the demise of the former FCT Minister of State and regretted that the Territory and Nigeria at large have lost an intellectual giant and great patriot.

The minister recalled the late university don’s sterling professional career as a lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she shone brilliantly like a colossus for several decades. He also recalled the legacies she left behind in the FCT such as the Dei-Dei Modern Building Material Market which she and the former Minister of FCT, Lt. Gen. Jerry Useni (rtd) conceived during the regime of late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

Senator Bala Mohammed said: “Professor Mariam Ikejiani-Clark’s life was defined by the virtues of hardwork, excellence, diligence and commitment. She was an Iroko in the field of knowledge.”

She was a patriot who dedicated her life to the service of Nigeria and contributed immensely to the development of FCT.”

He stated that it was not a mere happenstance that the late academic passed on in Abuja, her second home where she rendered outstanding service to her fatherland as Minister of State in the late 1990s.

According to the FCT Minister, Professor Ikejiani-Clark as an elegant and strong-willed leader stood out as a role model for younger women. He further described her as a thoroughbred and experienced professor of political science. “There is no doubt that she will be dearly missed at a time when the FCT and the country in general still need her valuable contributions,” he stressed.

“My heartfelt sympathy goes to her family, her husband, children and the extended family. She contributed to the development of the nation both as a university teacher and a public officer. She was one of the elder stateswomen of both the FCT and the entire country. Certainly, she will be remembered for her goodwill, thoroughness, motherly affection and perseverance. May her gentle soul rest in peace, Amen,” the FCT Minister prayed.