Bassey Oben was born on March 23, 1965, in Nkpura-Osiela, Ikom, Central Cross River State in South-South Nigeria. He studied French and Linguistics at the University of Calabar, Nigeria and at the Centre de Linguistique Appliquée, Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon – France. He holds a Ph.D in African Literature and Culture in French. Dr Oben joined the services of the University of Calabar as Graduate Assistant in October 1997. He is a university teacher with over twenty (20) years teaching and administrative experience. Appointed Associate Professor in October 2016, Oben is a researcher, translator (French – English) and human resources consultant. He is widely published, locally and internationally. In 1996, Oben won the E. N. Amaku Prize as “the best graduating student in Languages ,University of Calabar” 1995/1996 graduating class and was later honoured “for committed and dedicated service to the Faculty of Arts” by the Faculty of Arts Students Association in 2005. Dr. Oben is also a youth facilitator and civil society activist. He was a Guest Speaker at the 2016 Professor Bassey Andah Foundation Annual Lecture held at Transcorp Metropolitan Hotels, Calabar, Cross River State, where he spoke on “Ethical Re-orientation and Attitudinal Change – the Way Forward for the Nigerian Youth”. He is currently on the Editorial Board of many local and international academic research journals, including: Calabar Studies in Languages (CASIL), International Journal of Current Innovations in Academic Research (IJCIAR), Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies (JHCS), International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research (IJSER), among others. He is Editor, Revue des Etudes Francophones de Calabar (RETFRAC). He has mentored and supervised several graduate students at both Masters and Ph.Ds and has attended and presented papers at many local and international conferences, including in Italy, Togo and Cameroun. His research interests include: the African Novel in French, African Civilisation and Culture, Development Studies, Multiculturalism and Feminism. In the course of his research, Dr Oben has collaborated with colleagues across Nigerian universities, who share his interests. He is also a member of several professional bodies, including: University French teachers Association (UFTAN), Modern Languages Association (MLAN), Reading Association of Nigeria (RAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He is a sitting member, Governor’s Advisory Council on Education, Cross River State. Oben is a practicing journalist and commentator on national issues. He loves reading, writing and meeting friends. He is married with four children.