Year of Publication: 2021
Publisher: Expand Press Limited
Pages: 338
Reviewer: Olamitayo E. Irantiola
The book Sheer Providence is the Grace-filled life of Engr Adeniji Raji. Everything worked together for his good, and it seems to me that his guardian angel is always on alert, leading him always, even from cradle to old age. He is indeed a personified favour. He can be described as someone who enjoyed divine grace but also gave his best to have a remarkable life through the dint of hard work, integrity, passion, determination, and courage. All of these made his life beautiful and outstanding.
The author examined the issue of technical education, and it is a major concern to the Nigerian society, as it is one of the areas that the government needs to pay keen attention to because what we, in today’s tertiary institutions, are mere theoretical rather than practical. This has largely affected the ability of the nation to solve its problems internally, and every little design and fabrication has to be imported into the country. Technical education contributed immensely to his professional life, and this also later became an advantage for him as an entrepreneur.
According to George Santayana, “those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. Truly, we cannot undermine the importance of history in our national development, which I see as one of the major problems in Africa, Nigeria in particular.
The history cum episodes of the author about Nigerian External Communications (NET) is an eye-opener to the rot that has happened in our society and has systematically destroyed a very buoyant economy and nation. This part of the book catalogued the extent to which people can go in the search of wealth and power. One can’t imagine the collateral damage and loss that our nation has suffered. The same process continued in various parastatals of government till the early 2000s, when privatisation became the order of the day. The book lays bare the real source of the problems in Nigeria before readers. At this point, I have concluded that many of our national heroes are not worthy of the honour bestowed upon them because they have contributed negatively to the growth of the country more than we can imagine.
The author exposed the waste and leakage in the nation due to the leaders’ refusal to engage capable hands in all, in the name of Federal Character and quota system, leading to the degeneration of things. Policies obtained from the Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategy Studies, Kuru, Plateau State, whose main function is to bring knowledgeable people from all walks of life, in private, public, and military together to develop policies that are supposed to benefit the nation, are not implemented despite the huge investment in them for selfish reasons.
I see the repetition of events that had happened in the past, even in the present-day governance model, and we would probably not have taken some decisions if we had been educated enough with our national history.
The author enumerated some business models for young entrepreneurs that can help in partnership by spelling out responsibilities and profit-sharing formula, irrespective of the relationship with the partner. The biography reveals a man who loves his profession and is passionate about it. The author places so much emphasis on competency and integrity, irrespective of the challenges, and more importantly, on managing people and materials. There are so many lessons to learn in the book, especially in telecommunications engineering, which is filled with technical jargon.
Despite the beautiful career journey, the 22 years of waiting for the fruit of the womb reinforces the statement that there is no perfect life because we all have our challenges, although they may be different. However, the approach and how we comport ourselves during the storms should be hopeful that all will be well. Although the writer’s love life is a bit complicated. I believe the other women involved in his life will also have their reasons for their behaviours because it is all about perspective. We may not be able to understand the individual views which led to their actions. There are so many lessons to learn for young waiting couples, and, most importantly, to minimise the influence of the extended family in decision-making in marriage. The life of the dutiful wife who endured all did not go unnoticed.
A proverb in Yoruba says “Agbo ejo kan da,agba o si ka ni”, literally meaning judging the narration of an individual is cruel, as it takes two to tango. The book exhumed an emotional story about a young Medical Doctor who died in a road traffic accident in Saudi Arabia some years ago. I have read various accounts online about the doctor, and I am glad to have seen some aspects debunked, since the image of the man’s family was painted negatively.
The importance of friendship in the book cannot be overlooked, as it enabled the author to achieve great success in business. Engr Adeniji Raji is a socialite per excellence and a pious man who combines the two effectively without interruptions, and I must confess, I have never met a man well-travelled like Engr Adeniji Raji. A philanthropist of great repute who believes in touching lives, and he was able to demonstrate it well through his membership of the Rotary club.
In summary, I had a swell time reading a detailed book filled with chuckles. It is a book one cannot put down until one finishes reading it.
Olamitayo Ebunola Irantiola is a pastor, author and family life practitioner based in Lagos, Nigeria. She can be reached via tayofalokun@yahoo.com
