After the military coup of January 1966, Clark was among a group of delegates from the Mid-West who opposed any ideas of confederation that were raised at an ad-hoc constitutional conference constituted by Gowon in 1966. The delegation's mandate was Nigerian unity and when proposals of a loose federation were tabled the regions delegates asked for adjournment. He was later appointed Midwestern commissioner of Education and later Finance. As commissioner for education, he was active in the establishment of a Mid-west College of Technology that became the foundation of University of Benin.