Nduese Essien (born 2 February 1944) was a Nigerian National Assembly representative from

Akwa Ibom Akwa Ibom is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state takes its name from the Qua ...

state from 1999 to 2007, the position he held at the House of Representatives includes the leader of south-south parliamentary caucus and chairman of House committee on anti corruption, National Ethics and value under the late president Umaru Yar’Adua, and he later appointed him into the technical committee in the Niger Delta. He was also appointed Federal Minister of Lands, Housing & Urban Development on 6 April 2010, when acting president

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to former military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari and ...

announced his new cabinet.

Early career

Essien was born on 2 February 1944 in Nta Isip-Ikot Ibiok,

Eket Eket is one of the 31 local government areas in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The name ''Eket'' or Ekid also refers to the indigenous people of the region who are the Ibibio people of the southern part of Ibibioland and to their dialect which is E ...

Local Government Area of

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state ...

. He attended

Ahmadu Bello University The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) is a public research university located in Zaria, Nigeria, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was opened in 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria. The university has four colleges, three schools, 18 faculties, ...

Zaria Zaria is a List of Nigerian cities by population, metropolitan city in Nigeria, located at present time within four local government areas in Kaduna State. It serves as the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council and is one of the original sev ...

, where he obtained a B.Sc. in business administration in 1972. Essien's first job was with ''The Chronicle'' newspaper in the commercial department. In 1974 he became a lecturer at the College of Technology, Calabar. He left to start a business consultancy practice in 1979, and later ran a successful company marketing books for students.

Political career

In 1979 Essien was the Public Relations Officer of the

National Party of Nigeria The National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic (1979–1983). History Formation The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigeri ...

in Eket. He remained active in local politics, and in 1999 was selected as People's Democratic Party (PDP) National Assembly candidate for the Eket, Onna, Esit Eket and Ibeno constituency in Nigeria. He was elected, and in April 2003 was reelected, leaving office in May 2007. During his first term, Essien chaired the South South Parliamentary Caucus, and was a member of committees on internal affairs and women's affairs. In 2003, he was appointed chairman of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption, National Ethics and Values. He was also appointed chairman of the Nigerian Chapter of the African Parliamentarians Network against Corruption, and was later elected regional director in charge of West Africa. After leaving office in 2007, he was a member of the National Technical Assessment Committee on the Niger Delta region. Following his 6 April 2010 appointment as Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Essien said land reform and provision of housing were key items in the administration's seven-point agenda. On 13 April 2010 he pledged to revamp decaying housing estates and to deliver 54,500 new houses within the next 10 months.

References

1944 births Living people Federal ministers of Nigeria Peoples Democratic Party members of the House of Representatives (Nigeria) National Party of Nigeria politicians Members of the 4th National Assembly (Nigeria) Members of the 5th National Assembly (Nigeria) {{AkwaIbom-politician-stub