Clara Oshiomhole: Exit Of A Strong Woman
NEWS of the death of Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s wife, Mrs. Clara Oshiomhole, on the night of last Tuesday, in Abuja brought about, albeit momentarily, a sad and solemn atmosphere which enveloped the state. 
The departure of this woman who stood by her husband as he fought and won different battles on different fronts, as a labour activist and President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), for the well-being of the Nigerian worker and for the recovery of his electoral mandate, came to many Edo State indigenes and residents as a shock.
Unfortunately, however, Mrs. Oshiomhole lost the battle against one of humanity’s most malignant diseases, breast cancer. Even with the unofficial knowledge of some persons that Mrs. Oshiomhole was suffering from breast cancer, they still received the fact of her death in a somewhat surprised manner.
The 54-year-old mother of five died barely four days to the traditional wedding of the family’s second daughter, Jane, for which preparations were said to have reached an advanced stage. The event had been fixed for Sunday, December 12. The other children are Cyril, Winnie, Steve and Adams Jnr.
On hearing of his wife’s death, Governor Oshiomhole was reported to have stepped out of his office and wept as he deeply pondered over what had happened. He reportedly left for Abuja by road at about 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday but later returned to Benin City same day in the afternoon to meet a state thrown into a solemn mood.
A statement from the Edo State Government signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Pally Iriase, which officially announced her death on Wednesday, confirmed that Mrs. Oshiomhole died “after a protracted battle with breast cancer,” adding that she would be deeply missed by her husband, children, the people and government of Edo state.
An anonymous profiler once wrote that “Mrs. Oshiomhole might not have possessed the crowd-pulling charisma of her husband, but on her own, the affable woman was a force to reckon with.”
Born on 18 June 1956 to the Akaragbon family of Idumu-Agho, Okaigben, Ewohimi, in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, Clara never had the privilege of acquiring early education. This seeming impediment did not affect her determination to acquire a professional academic relevance with which she armed herself.
She then took up appointment as a staff member of the National Institute of Public Information, an agency of the Federal Ministry of Information, Kaduna. She was a secretariat staff of the institute until her husband won a popular victory through a judgment of the Court of Appeal to become governor of Edo State.
“Quiet, admirably low-keyed but forceful, Mrs. Oshiomhole was until her demise, the strong tower behind her husband’s uncanny doggedness and fights with establishments for the welfare of Nigerian workers. Her contributions to the success of her husband’s numerous struggles also played a great impact in his emergence as the governor of Edo State and, indeed, his quest to emancipate the state from the grip of imposed under-development,” the profiler added.
On becoming the First Lady of Edo State, she set up the Health Foundation for Maternal and Child Care (HEFMAC), an NGO for bringing qualitative health care to the indigent people of the state, and which she successfully used to take free health programme to the three senatorial districts of the state.
“As part of her determination to end the travails of women and children, particularly the girl-child, Mrs. Oshiomhole has not only given out millions of naira in payment of hospital bills, she has equally given out scholarships to indigent but brilliant young girls to cover tuition and books from secondary to tertiary institutions of learning. The girls were selected from the three senatorial districts of the state.”
Clara’s battle against cancer apparently limited her public appearances as First Lady and the scope of her plans for the people of Edo State. But that low-keyed disposition no doubt endeared her to the hearts of many, including those who never had the opportunity of meeting her. It might also be part of the reasons the news of her death was received with shock and solemnity, even across political divides. Indeed, the outpouring of emotions knew no bounds.
The number of sympathisers were enormous. The list included those who personally called at the Government House in Benin City to see the bereaved, and those who sent in their condolences. Among them were President Goodluck Jonathan; former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former governors Bola Tinubu of Lagos State, Dr. Chris Ngige of Anambra State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun state, and Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State; Senate President David Mark; Governors Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state, Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State, Bukola Saraki of Kwara State, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State, and acting governor of Delta State, Sam Obi.
Others included the national chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande; the Edo State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dan Orbih; Nigeria’s First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; the Benin monarch, Omo N’Oba Erediauwa; the Esogban of Benin, Chief David Edebiri; first democratically elected governor of Edo State, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; and National Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Lai Mohammed.
The tributes were unanimous in describing Mrs. Clara Oshiomhole as a quiet, unassuming, supportive and courageous woman.
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