Personalities from all walks of life, including the immediate past Chairman of Comet Shipping Group, Chief Musa Danjuma, Mr Roderick Roy Nazzari, the Group Managing Director of Comet Shipping Group, Pastor P.O. Oluwi of BBC Professionals (rtd), guests from Cosco Shipping, MSC Classic Terminal, Clarion Terminal on Wednesday 25th of September converged on the Eagle Club, Surulere, Lagos, for the public presentation of a biography, B.A. ADESINA, Gracious Living And Service.
The book is the biography of Pastor Bashiru Alani Adesina, the immediate past Group Chief Accountant of NAL Comet Shipping Group.
Written with clarity in flawless English prose by Olufemi Omotayo, B.A. ADESINA is a biography that is not only didactic but spiritually elevating.
This made it a lighter burden for the reviewer and presenter, Professor Olukayode Oyediran of the University of Lagos, who did justice in his analysis, with a touch of humour by satisfying listeners’ appetite with a graphic elucidation of the contents and themes of the biography, travelling with guests into the earliest beginnings of Pastor Adesina, through his school years, his professional life, till this day.
He described the biography; B.A. ADESINA is a compelling read. “It is a story of grass to grace, a story of rugged determination to triumph over vicissitudes, a tale of little beginnings, steadfastness, unwavering focus, determination and eventual surmount of all obstacles to reach the summit of success and triumph.
“Pastor Bashiru Adesina achieved these goals, his mission with a recurring benchmark: hard work, humility, empathy and dedication to the service of God.
“In the rustic village of Abule-Panu, an outpost of Abeokuta, Bashiru’s talent for monetary details was spotted early by his trader mother when he painstakingly took stock of her transactions.
“Bashiru’s destiny began to unveil when his visiting aunt, Florence, took little six-year-old Bashiru away to Abeokuta from where he had an embrace with Christianity and a focused mission with western education when he enrolled at Christ African Church Primary School in lgbore, Abeokuta in 1960.
“Consistently, Adesina had in focus his mission to become an accountant as he pursued his academics at Ibadan Polytechnic, bagging a Diploma in Accounting and eventually passing his ICAN examinations to become a chartered accountant”, he further observed.
His career stints include Accounts Clerk at the College of Education, University of Lagos and Air Call.
As a Chartered Accountant, the coast became clearer for Adesina to access better job opportunities and he eventually found a placement at a newly floated shipping company, Nigeria America Line, as the first Chief Accountant in 1984.
To God’s glory, Adesina worked at NALComet for forty-one years during which period the company grew phenomenally and transmuted to a trading Group with tentacles in many facets of the maritime trade including Comet Shipping Agencies, Five Star Logistics, RoRo Terminal, Tarabaroz.
Mr Adesina was a gifted and respected governmental engagement specialist who was adept in dealings with reputable agencies like NIMASA, NPA, FlRS, Lagos Board of Internal Revenue and even world-renowned shipping and maritime companies.
The high point of his career was his appointment as the Executive Administrator of the Nigeria/ Brazil Shipping Conference during which time, as pioneering Indigenous shipping line operators, NALCOMET was beckoned upon to contribute to fashioning a Nigerian national shipping policy.
Adesina represented NALCOMET in this august body made up of top NPA and civil service technocrats.
It was a rare privilege, and the end product was the emergence of the then National Maritime Authority (NMA), now rechristened as NIMASA.
Taking a hard look at the pages of his life, Adesina praised the committed efforts of his destiny believers and supporters too.
“If l achieved something worthy in my career, l will give credit to some outstanding individuals like General Theophilus Danjuma, the founder of NALComet companies, Chief Musa Danjuma, my Chairman, Mr P.L. Carrodano, our indefatigable Group Managing Director, Mr. Roderick Roy Nazzari, Ms Gloria Danjuma, our Chairman, and Mr. Joachim Theaukuf.
“They are great personalities whom God had privileged me to interface with. They are selfless people who worked tirelessly to develop Comet Shipping Agencies to such a huge success it has become today, but also helped to wean and grow the Nigerian maritime industry into world renown, ” he also noted.
He says further: “I will also be thankful for inspiration from my childhood friend and now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola and my brother, Mr Bade Adesina.”
Over time, Bashiru transformed progressively, positively, into a super technocrat, a consummate administrator with professional honours and awards decorating his resume. Overall, Bashiru became a man of God, indeed a Pastor in the Deeper Christian Life Ministry.
Notably, all of these attainments and achievements were made possible with the unflinching support of his consort, his madam, Mrs Victoria Adesina, who had been there for him for decades. From the one-room situation at Mafoluku in Lagos, Mrs Adesina had always been a friend, a soul mate, a prayer warrior and a pillar of support and strength to Dr. Bashiru Adesina.
Eminent personalities at the event include Mrs Oluwatosin Adebayo- Chief Financial Officer, Comet Shipping Group, and A.B. Parthiban- Finance Controller, Five Star Logistics.
Mr S. P. Gupta, Billing and Costing Manager, Comet Shipping Group.
Mr Isaac Salami – Insurance Manager Comet Shipping Group.
The Church Secretary, Past John Ntekim, Deeper Christian Life Ministry.
Pastor Jerry Asemota, former Church Secretary, Deeper Christian Life Ministry.
Pastor P.O.Oluwi, The book’s Foreword writer and Reviewer,
Prof. Olukayode Sunday Oyediran.
Pastor Eric Ajari – Lagos Moderator- Deeper Christian Life Ministry.
Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Mr Olanrewaju Ishola, represented by his wife.
Pastor John Akinwande, former Lagos Moderator.
The President, Institute of Chartered Stockbrokers, Mr Oluropo Dada.
Past President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Deacon Titus Soetan.
Past President, Chartered institute of Taxation Nigeria, Dame Jumoke Simplice. Senior partners of Deloitte&Touché, Hungary Folorunsho, Tony Olukoju,Taiwo Okunade, Kunle Ogunbomowo, lbukum Beecroft. Olubamiji Esho&Co, A.A. Dina& Co.
General Overseer, New Testament Assembly Worldwide, Pastor Samson Bamigbayan.
Leader of Yoruba church, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor Rufus Bamigbayan.
Chairman, Vetting Committee, Pastor Dare Kumuyi
Pastor Nicholas Erigo, Old District Representative for Surulere.
Apapa Zonal Manager, Zenith Bank, Babatunde Fateye.
Pastor Andrew Umoru, Assistant Chairman, Editorial Board of Deeper Christian Life Ministry., DR Dan Habu.
The Managing Director, Tydacomm Communications Ltd, Prof. Akin Akinniyi.
Alhaja Rabiat Orunsolu (Nee Adesina) Head of the Adesina Family, Adetunji Adepeju, Sammy Lawal, Lateef Dosunmu and Jide Oluwasakin, Professional colleagues from Ibadan.
The Chairmen of ICAN LMD and CITN VI/ Lekki Districts. Mr Wole Atunbi, Assistant Chief Accountant of Comet Shipping Group.
There were other guests, friends, and well-wishers of Bashiru Adesina who joined in on the book launch from the UK, USA, Australia and Canada.
