EDWARD BASSEY EDET was born on 29th November 1929 in Esuk Oron, formerly in Cross River State, now in Akwa Ibom State. He was the fourth child of his mother Madam Arit Atuakak, and her second son.  His elder brother died while Edward was very young, as did his father Bassey Edet Ita, leaving his mother to bring up himself and his two older sisters Mary and Lucy.  It was a happy childhood, and from an early age Edward was influenced by western education, the legacy of British Missionaries in the area.  He was an altar boy for a while during his youth.   

Edward’s father owned the land on which stands the prestigious Methodist Boys’ High School in Oron, so he attended this institution under the headmastership of the Reverend Wiles.  Armed with his school certificate, he was appointed as a clerk in the Nigerian central government, in the Survey Department.  
    
The British Council sponsored Edward to continue his education in London, where he arrived in the autumn of 1959.  With the help of the British Council, he was appointed to a position in the British Air Ministry, which later became the Ministry of Public Building and
Works. Concurrently he embarked upon a course in Building Engineering, with classes in the evenings and on day-release. His work locations included Holborn, Tolworth in Surrey and Russell Square in London.

It was during his time in the Air Ministry in Holborn that he met his English wife Ann Benoy, who was also working for the Air Ministry.  They were married at the Tufnell Park Methodist Church on 7th August 1965.  Edward had always intended coming back to Nigeria to make his contribution towards the development of his homeland.  However the Nigerian-Biafran Civil War broke out in 1967, and peace was not declared until 1970, so he waited until it was safe to return with his growing family, arriving back in Lagos in March 1972.  

Throughout his time in England, Edward regularly sent amounts of money home to his aged mother, and subsequently visited her in Oron.

Both Edward and his wife gained senior positions with Shell-BP, later Shell (Nigeria).  Edward was appointed to Shell’s engineering department, and was sent on short postings to Warri and Port Harcourt to carry out engineering works on buildings and structures in the oilfields.  They lived in Suru-lere in Lagos for nearly eight years.

In 1980 both he and his wife were posted to Port Harcourt and lived in the Shell Residential Area. This ended in 1985 when Edward retired from Shell to set up his private building practice based in his residence in Port Harcourt.  

Edward Bassey Edet is survived by:

Wife
    Ann Edet
Daughters
    Eme Elsie Edet (deceased)
    Melanie Arit Edet
Sons
    Jeremy Bassey Edet
    Beverley Bieme Edet
    Melvin Okung Edet (deceased)
    William Antai Edet
Grandson
    Omar Bieme Edet
        Tyrone Isong
        Cashel Edet
Grand-daughters
         Neave Edet
Son In-Law
        Alexander Isong
Daughters In-Law
    Tracey Edet
    Reema Mahmood
        Amy Dobb
Sisters, Nephews, Nieces and In-laws.