[1] Essang was born on December 24, 1940, in Oron, a city in Cross-River state, Nigeria.
Essang attended King's College, Lagos.
[2] Essang was the Head of the Department of Economics in the University of Calabar from 1976 to 1979 before he was appointed into office.
[3] He was also the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Calabar.
Essang was appointed the Minister of Finance during the Shehu Shagari administration (1979-1983).