Nikolaus Onverwag 'Niko' Bessinger (12 June 1948 – 25 March 2008) was a Namibian politician and independence activist. Bessinger was born on 12 June 1948 in Walvis Bay, South West Africa. Born into the Goreseb clan which is closely related to the Goreseb Royal House. He attended St. Bonifacius Roman Catholic Primary School in Windhoek, Augustineum Secondary School in Okahandja and matriculated at Athlone High School in Cape Town in 1966. He then studied architecture at the University of Cape Town from 1969 to 1972 before receiving a Fulbright scholarship to study at the University of Detroit in the United States. He received the National Dean's List Award in 1979 and 1980. Bessinger graduated with a B.Sc. (Architecture) in 1980 and a B.Arch. in 1981 before being registered as an Architect