Birth/Parentage
Rev Mark B. Nsor was born on 1st April 1943 into the family of late Chief James Nsor Ogo and Ma. Sarah Esame Obaji all of Effi in okuni, Ikom Local Government Area in Cross River State.
EDUCATION
Rev Mark B. Nsor attended Church of Scotland Mission (CSM) School and passed Standard Six in 1959. He attended Okoroji Commercial School Ikom from 1960 to 1963, where he learnt shorthand and typewriting among other arts subject. Faced with the challenges of not having a nationally recognized certificate after his commercial education, he wrote and passed the Royal Society of Arts/Shorthand at advanced level in 1971 and in 1972 he wrote and passed London GCE all at home. In 1987 he obtained a Diploma in Health Administration and Management. In 2007 he bagged a bachelors Degree in Pastoral and a Masters Degree in Theological Studies from Logos University, Florida, 2009.
WORKING LIFE
At the end of his commercial education he left to Port Harcourt in 1964. He was employed as a typist in a French company Angus Builders but the company folded in January 1970. He moved to Kaduna, where he got a job as a shorthand typist in United African Company (UAC) on passing the Royal Society of Arts/Pitman examinations at (50/120 words per minutes) in typewriting and shorthand. He left UAC for Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital, Zaria, (ABU) as Confidential Secretary in 1972. He worked in the Ophthalmic Unit under Prof S. I. Bahr an ophthalmologist.
In 1975, he was transferred to Institute of Health, Admadu Bello University, Samaru, Zaria, the hub of Administration for ABU Hospitals in Kano, Zaria and Kaduna as confidential Secretary I attached to the Director of Administration. He attended Senior Health Managers courses at home and abroad, one of which was the Senior Heath Managers from Developing Countries in London in 1982 for six months. Upon his return, he was converted to Senior Executive Officer and Assistant Secretary 1 respectively.
In April 1983, Rev Nsor joined the services of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital UCTH, on transfer as Assistant Secretary 1 in charge of Junior Staff Personnel (a position he used to impart positively on the lives of many persons in terms of employment). He was promoted to Senior Asst Secretary (Personnel) and was sent to the University of Benin for a Diploma in Health Administration and Management in 1987/88. He rose from the ranks and retired as Ag Asst. Director and Head of Administration, Clinical Services and Training Division after undergoing Advanced Personnel/Human Resource Management course in ASCON, Badagry in 2003. While in the service of UCTH he was Secretary/Member of various Management and Board Committees. He was an Associate Member, Institute of Health Service Administrators of Nigeria and Member, International Hospital Federation (IHF). After attaining the mandatory 60 years of age, he retired in 2004.
CHRISTIAN LIFE
Rev Nosr was baptized in the Christian faith of Church of Scotland Mission (now Presbyterian Church) in 1959 during his final year in primary school. He was ordained a ruling Elder of Presbyterian Church of Nigeria in 1982 in Zaria. He answered the call to the Ministry as a Tent Maker in 1997. He did a Diploma in Theology at Huge Goldie/Lay Theological Institute in 1997 to 1999 and was ordained in the year 2000 by the Calabar Presbytery. Rev Nsor served as a student minister in Garden Parish in 1998, and did his probation as a tent maker in Esin Ufotin parish in 1999. He was posted to Odukpani Road Parish in 2005. He opted to resurrect Ikot Nkebre Preaching Post which lost its venue to a restaurant as the first Minister of Ikot Nkebre with four members.
He began by finding a place for worship which was the parlour of one of the church members (Now Elder & Elder Mrs Effiom Ekpenyong). God used him to ratify the donation of land for a temporary church building in 2008 and led to increase in membership. Ikot Nkebre is today a Parish to the glory of God.
Rev Nsor was posted to Big Qua Parish as a Tent Maker on 1st January 2009 and retired from the ministry on 14th April 2013. Later that year he relocated to his native home parish in Okuni.
SOCIAL
Rev Mark Nsor is a bonafide member of Unity age grade in Okuni and part takes in all the necessary contributions. He also fulfils his obligations by paying community levies.
HEALTH CHALLENGES
In September, 2015, Rev Nsor complained of serve pains on his legs and waist and was taken to Holy Family Hospital, Ikom where he was transferred to Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki in October 2015. However, in October 2016 the pain started again and was taken back to Abakaliki for further treatment and diagnosis which lead to operation. In November 2016, he developed complication and was admitted in Supreme Specialist Hospital, Ikom and another operation was carried out. By mid 2017, his health improved and he commenced his church activities but had a relapse in July 2018. He was admitted in UCTH Calabar in August 2018 for physiotherapy management.
LAST DAYS
By the will of God the cold hands of death embraced him peacefully at 10:00am on 28th October 2019.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs Beatrice O. Nsor with five children namely: Samuel Nsor Bassey, George Nsor Bassey, Patience Esame Okwoche, Konye Nsor Bassey and Odey Nsor Bassey and grand children also a host of other relatives to mourn his death.
