Andrew Jonathan Nok was born on 11 February 1962 in Nok village, in Jaba Local Government Area of present-day Kaduna State. His early education took place at LEA Primary School, Kwoi, and Government Secondary School, Kafanchan, schools that fed into a generation of Northern Nigerian professionals.
His academic journey led him to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he trained, taught, and eventually rose through the academic ranks. Over time, he became a Professor of Biochemistry and served in senior leadership roles, including Dean of the Faculty of Science. Within ABU, his reputation grew as a scientist deeply committed to molecular research and academic development.
African sleeping sickness and why the disease mattered
The scientific work that brought Nok international recognition centered on African trypanosomiasis. In humans, the disease is known as sleeping sickness, a parasitic illness transmitted by the tsetse fly. Untreated, it can progress from neurological symptoms to coma and death, making it one of the most feared neglected tropical diseases in Africa.
According to the World Health Organization, tens of millions of people historically lived in regions where human African trypanosomiasis was endemic. Alongside the human disease, animal trypanosomiasis has long affected cattle and other livestock, reducing productivity and deepening poverty in rural communities. Together, these realities made trypanosomiasis a major scientific and public health concern.
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The sialidase gene discovery and global recognition
Nok’s most prominent scientific recognition came from research involving a gene associated with the production of sialidase in Trypanosoma. Sialidase is an enzyme linked to parasite survival and host interaction, making it a key focus in understanding how trypanosomes persist and spread.
In 2009, this work earned him the Nigeria LNG Prize for Science. Reporting on the prize described his research as identifying the gene responsible for sialidase production and highlighted its importance as a foundation for future DNA-based vaccine research against trypanosomiasis.
The award placed Nok among a small group of Nigerian scientists whose laboratory research attracted sustained international attention. His work became widely cited in profiles discussing Africa’s contribution to molecular parasitology and the long-term fight against sleeping sickness.
The ABU Vice Chancellor contest and national attention
Nok’s academic prominence later intersected with one of the most closely watched leadership contests in Ahmadu Bello University’s history. In 2009, his name featured prominently in the process to appoint a new Vice Chancellor. Media coverage at the time consistently described him as one of the leading candidates.
The eventual outcome, in which he did not assume the position, generated widespread debate and became part of a broader national conversation about university governance, merit, and representation. Different reports presented varying details about the selection process, and the episode came to symbolise the intense pressures surrounding leadership appointments in major Nigerian universities.
For many observers, the ABU contest marked a turning point in Nok’s public life, shifting him from being known primarily as a scientist to being seen as a figure entangled in institutional politics.
From academia to Kaduna State government
In 2015, Nok transitioned from university administration into public service. He was appointed Commissioner for Health and Human Services in Kaduna State under Governor Nasir El Rufai. The appointment placed a career scientist at the head of one of the state’s most demanding ministries.
Following a cabinet reshuffle, Nok was redeployed to the Ministry of Education, another portfolio carrying significant public expectations. His movement across these ministries reflected the confidence placed in his administrative and intellectual capacity during that period.
As commissioner, he became a visible public figure, operating within the pressures of policy, governance, and political accountability, far removed from the controlled environment of laboratory research.
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Death and enduring legacy
Andrew Jonathan Nok died on 21 November 2017 while serving as a commissioner in Kaduna State. His death prompted tributes that revisited the defining chapters of his life, his rise through academia, his internationally recognised research on Trypanosoma, his role in state government, and the unresolved memories of the ABU Vice Chancellor episode.
Years later, his name continues to surface in discussions about Nigerian scientific achievement, fairness in academic institutions, and the role of experts in public service. His life remains a reference point for how scientific excellence, institutional politics, and governance can intersect in complex ways.
Author’s Note
Andrew Jonathan Nok’s story is one of ambition, recognition, and responsibility, a Kaduna-born scientist whose research on a critical Trypanosoma gene earned global respect, who later carried the weight of public office, and whose academic journey became inseparable from debates about leadership and merit in Nigeria’s institutions.
References
World Health Organization, Human African trypanosomiasis, sleeping sickness, health topic page.
Vanguard, Prof. Nok wins LNG’s Science Prize, 16 August 2009.
Premium Times Nigeria, El Rufai nominates 13 Commissioners, 29 July 2015.
