Bassey Gershom Henry

Senator Chief Gershom Henry Bassey, born on 18 March 1962 in Lagos, Nigeria, is a prominent Nigerian politician and businessman. He represents the Cross River South Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate and has served in the 8th and 9th National Assembly.

He comes from Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State. Bassey is married to Chioma Gershom-Bassey and has five children. His early education included primary school at Corona School Apapa, Lagos, followed by studies at Federal Government College, Sokoto, where he obtained his West African School Certificate in 1977.

In 1979, he earned an A-Level certificate from Greylands College, Isles of Wight, UK. He pursued higher education in Engineering Production and Economics at the University of Wales, Cardiff, graduating with a first-class BSc in 1984. He later earned an MSc in Construction Management from Brunel University London with distinction in 1986.

Bassey holds fellowships and awards, including membership of the Nigerian Institute of Civil Engineers (NICE) and recognition from the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE). He was the CEO of Lilleker Nigeria from 1999 to 2010 and Chairman of the Cross River State Water Board from 1999 to 2015.

His political career began when he ran for the Senate for the Cross River South Senatorial District in 2015. He was sworn into the 8th Nigerian Senate on 9 June 2015 and re-elected for the 9th Senate on 11 June 2019. He is ranked among the top senators in Nigeria.

Known for his significant wealth, estimated at around $30 million, Bassey has held key positions such as Chairman of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA). He also served as Vice Chairman of the Senate committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream).

During the 2019 PDP primaries, Bassey faced opposition, including a confrontation with Ntufam Ekpo Okon, which led to a delay in the primaries and later disqualification of Okon. Bassey emerged victorious in the election.

As a senator, he sponsored several bills, including those aimed at establishing correctional centers, a federal college of forestry technology, and amendments to criminal justice and other laws. He has also championed bills for infrastructure projects and research institutions.