Nsikak-Abasi Essien Eduok (11 July 1947 – 6 January 2021) was the Chief of the Air Staff of the

Nigerian Air Force The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is the air branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the youngest branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is one of the largest in Africa, consisting of about 15,000 personnel and aircraft including eight Chinese Che ...

between 1996 and 1999.

Early life

Nsikak Eduok was born to the family of Essien Eduok of Mbak in

Ibesikpo Asutan Ibesikpo-Asutan is a Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It is inhabited by the Ibesikpo and Asutan clans. The Local Government Headquarters is Nung Udoe. It is the home of former Akwa Ibom State governor architect Obong Victor ...

local government in

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

Career

Nsikak Eduok after his education began working for

VON The term ''von'' () is used in German language surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means ''of'' or ''from''. Nobility directories like the ''Almanach de ...

for a short while as a studio manager. In 1968 Nsikak enrolled in the

NAF The Naf River ( bn, নাফ নদী ''Naf Nodi'' ; my, နတ်မြစ် ; rki, ) is an international river marking the Bangladesh–Myanmar border, border of southeastern Bangladesh and northwestern Myanmar. Geography The Naf Rive ...

as a probable pilot. Air Marshal Nsikak Eduok obtained his first military exercise from the

Nigerian Defence Academy The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) is a military university based in Kaduna, Nigeria that trains officer cadets for commissioning into one of the three services of the Nigerian Armed Forces: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. The duration of t ...

before going for his principal flying training in 1970. In 1971 after completing his principal training he went through the Basic Flying training course and emerged the best overall student. In that same year he was assigned

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. Between 1971 and 1986 he attended several flying courses which included Advanced and Tactical Flying training course, Aircraft Accident Investigation course, MiG-21 Conversion Course in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, Advanced Staff Course in

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. In 1991, he attended

USAF Air War College The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, space, and cyberspace in joint operation ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

where he graduated in 1992. Between 1975 and 1976, Nsikak Eduok was the first

Operations Officer Military operations is a concept and application of military science that involves planning the operations for the projected maneuvering forces' provisions, services, training, and administrative functions—to allow them to commence, insert, t ...

of the Makurdi Strike Group . He was the

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of NAF Station, Enugu and the first Commander of the 75th Fighter Squadron. Nsikak Eduok also has a street ''"Nsikak Eduok Avenue"'' in

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

named after him by the past governor of the state.
Nsikak Eduok
died on 6 January 2021.

Awards

* National, Defence, Independence and Republic Medals * Distinguished Service Star and the Meritorious Service Star Medals

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eduok, Nsikak 1947 births 2021 deaths Nigerian Air Force air marshals People from Akwa Ibom State