Background
He was born on October 17, 1936, at Afaha Eket, Nigeria.
He was born on October 17, 1936, at Afaha Eket, Nigeria.
He was educated at the Qua Iboe Mission Secondary School, Etinan and at the Government Teacher Training College, Uyo. From January 1955 to February 1958 he trained and became a schoolteacher and in March 1958 decided to join the army, training at the Regular Officer Cadet School, Teshie in Ghana, Sandhurst, the Small Arms School, Hythe and the School of Infantry at Warminste
In June 1961 he joined the Nigerian 1st Battalion at Enugu and from November 1961 to May 1962 served with the United Nations forces in the Congo. In December 1963 he transferred to the Nigerian Air Force and trained with the German Air Force Establishment. He returned to become the Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Air Force base at Kaduna from July 1965 to January 1966, the time of the first Nigerian coup, when he was transferred to Air HQ Lagos as the Senior Air Operations Officer until he was appointed Military Governor of the Southeastern State on May 28, 1967. Calabar, the capital of the South-east, was taken by Federal forces on October 18, 1967. Brigadier Esuene was then able to establish his government and rebuild his home state. He has been a conciliatory force in the meetings discussing the liabilities and assets of the South-east States owned by Ibos who had since returned to East Central State.
Beneath a bluff and jovial exterior lies a disciplined, exacting and meticulous soldier, who works long hours whenever the occasion demands. He comes from an educated, reasonably prosperous, farming family. After teacher training he joined the army and was soon selected as officer material. As Military Governor he takes his heavy responsibilities in his stride, but he can be impatient when a job is not well done. He has been known to tour Calabar personally to make sure the streets are clean.
After his death, his wife Helen Esuene was appointed Minister of State for Health, and later Minister of Environment and Housing in the Cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo between 2005 and 2007