A new autobiography published this week chronicles the story of a man who has spent several decades committed to serving his local community.
Adewale Bakare arrived in Bradford from his home country of Nigeria in 1978. Across his lifetime, he has served as a campaigner, housing expert, and community figurehead. His life story has been documented in a fresh autobiography released by the Nigeria Community Association Bradford, commonly referred to as NCAB.
According to Mr Bakare, the publication offers a documented account demonstrating what perseverance, faith, and dedication to one’s community can look like across a lifetime.
His story spans almost half a century of dedication to personal advancement and supporting fellow residents. His career began in Bradford’s textile factories, which were thriving at the time, where he undertook part-time studies shortly after his arrival in 1978.
He later completed a full-time TEC Diploma in Textiles combined with a Management Studies Certificate, eventually reaching senior roles including Senior Quality Control Laboratory Assistant at Wendy Wool in Guiseley, where he remained until 1985.
In 1991, Mr Bakare shifted professional directions into the housing field. He took up a post as Assistant Housing Officer with Brunnel Housing Association in Bradford, and that same year founded the Nigeria Friendship Society. This group would eventually evolve into NCAB, acting as a voice and support system for Nigerian people living in Bradford for over thirty years.
He pursued professional qualifications by studying Housing Management at Sheffield Hallam University between 1992 and 1995. After this, he held positions dealing with housing assistance, immigration advice, and recruiting nursing personnel from Nigeria.
Between 2008 and 2014, he served as Chief Operational Manager at SAB Ventures Ltd before finishing his working life in 2015 at the age of 65.
However, what he called retirement turned out to be merely a word. Since then, Mr Bakare has thrown himself into voluntary work through NCAB and other initiatives, using his expertise to help others with matters concerning housing, employment, health, and immigration.
His memoir, Bakare Akanbi Sefiu Adewale, is described as a work written for Bradford as much as for its author.
The publication is now available for purchase.
NCAB stated that when Adewale Bakare arrived in Bradford during the early part of 1978, he carried with him the dreams of a young person ready to build something meaningful in an unfamiliar land.
Nearly fifty years on, that young person has become one of Bradford’s most quietly remarkable citizens, and his autobiography Bakare Akanbi Sefiu Adewale seeks to tell that entire journey.
The book invites its readers, particularly younger people, to grasp that efforts started with genuine intent, no matter where they begin, can grow into something permanent.