Chief Oluwole Alani Adeosun, frontline economist, banker, chartered accountant and administrator will on Tuesday celebrate his 70th birthday.

He was born on November 25, 1938 in his hometown, Gbagura township of Abeokuta.

He attended Abeokuta Grammar School between 1954 and 1958.

Having worked briefly at the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Ibadan between 1959 and 1962, he proceeded to the United Kingdom in June 1962 to further his education. There he attended the Holborn College of Law, London, 1963-1964, and the University of Bradford, Yorkshire, where he graduated with an honours degree in economics in 1967. He was also associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (1970), Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators (1970), the Chartered Institute of Bankers, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria among others.

In 1967, he started his substantive working and professional career with one of the leading international firms of Chartered Accountants, Coopers and Lybrand, in London. He returned to Nigeria in 1971 to take up an appointment with the Lagos office of Coopers and Lybrand. Later in 1973, he joined the country's Premier Merchant Bank (NAL Merchant Bank Plc) where he rose to the position of managing director and chief executive in April 1979.

He was reputed to have pioneered the construction of NAL Towers, which is now a landmark structure that adorns the Marina on the Lagos Island.

In a bid to give it a much-needed leadership in August 1987, he was appointed by the Federal Government as managing director/chief executive to Nigeria's premier commercial bank, First Bank of Nigeria Plc. This position he held until July 1990 when he retired to go into private practice.

It was under his leadership that FBN (Merchant Bank) Ltd., was established as a subsidiary of FBN. He thus became the pioneer chairman.

Adeosun is an authorised dealer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (England and Wales and Nigeria); fellow, Chartered Institute of Bankers (London and Nigeria); fellow, Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators, United Kingdom. Between 1992 and 1993, he became the president, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. Before this, he was president of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, 1986-1989.

He has also played several roles in the nation. He was chairman, Industrial Enterprises Panel, 1975-1976. He was in 1985 appointed chairman of the Advisory Committee of Industrial and Agricultural Development of Ogun State.

He was also a member of the Presidential Monitoring Committee FIFA,1989-1992.

In 1995, he served on the Presidential Committee on International Monetary Fund (IMF) Loan. He was appointed member and vice chairman of Ogun State Development Committee, which metamorphosed into Ogun State Development Trust Fund.

From December 1992 to August 1993, he was saddled with the responsibility of administering an octopus combination of the Ministries of Transport, Aviation and Communications, when he was appointed Honourable Secretary (Minister) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and a member of the Federal Executive Council-a portfolio that is now manned by five ministers of cabinet rank.

It was during his tenure as minister of communications that digital telephone facilities were extended to Ogun State and indeed the whole of the Old Western State of Nigeria.

Adeosun was a member of the Rotary Club International, Yaba and Lagos from 1976-1990. During this period, he became a Paul Harris Fellow and the first Treasurer of District 911 of the Rotary International.

In November 2000, he was bestowed with the national honour of the Order of The Niger (OON) and was appointed Chairman of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) in 2006.

He also holds traditional titles of Osi-Maiyegun of Egbaland and the Oganla, and later exalted to the position of the Balogun of Ojoo, Gbagura, Abeokuta.

Apart from sitting on the board of numerous companies, Adeosun is now in private practice as management and financial consultant.