If Not For God: The compelling story of a Destiny Man
When his pregnant mother headed for the village market 85 years ago, she did not have any hint that it was her delivery day. She was indeed in the market when she felt labour grip. Because there was no hospital nearby, some women around could only help her to a relative’s house, and it was there she was delivered of the baby now on his way to his 86th birthday.
As if nature was bent on playing more tricks on him, the same mother who survived the pains of the emergency labour eventually departed too soon. Not during childbirth, but she died when he was just two years old. The implication is that this apple in the eye of destiny never ‘met’ his mother. He never really saw her face because he was too young to know anything when she passed. So, unlike many people who can describe their mothers, whether they have or had tribal marks, whether the faces were round or otherwise, and whether the faces were always coloured with motherly smiles, he cannot in any way describe what his sweet mother looked like.
This is the story of Pa Engr. Adedeji Komolafe, an elder statesman, thoroughbred professional, loving husband and father. He is one of Nigeria’s silent and enviable achievers who has now documented his story in an autobiography titled IF NOT FOR GOD. In the valuable 204-page book that unfolds like a school of life, Komolafe painstakingly narrates the trajectory of his life: from an innocent, early half-orphan, humble village boy to an internationally trained graduate and successful engineer, to a notable entrepreneur. The book comes in 15 chapters in four parts, with commentaries that serve as a prologue and epilogue.
As earlier noted, the Komolafe who presents himself to the world in IF NOT FOR GOD is one who never saw even the tiniest photograph of his mother. Also as a child, his primary education had to be delayed until he left the village (where there was no school) for Ilesa township where he attended St Peters Anglican School Isona. Besides, the now accomplished and roundly fulfilled hero once had to sleep overnight inside a lorry because the vehicle conveying him to his new location at Aiyedun Ekiti, where he would continue schooling, had no headlight.
Also, in another story that justifies the title, IF NOT GOD, our man once fell into a trap set for a deer, with only his equally young brothers who could not get him out of the deadly grip being around. The book, very importantly too, is the story of a man of destiny who, though became a notable engineer, left secondary school as an arts student. Although he was a brilliant student, he never offered any science course. Yet, he had always wanted to become an engineer.
As Komolafe gives details of the determination and hard work that saw him conquer obstacles, he accords God the fattest credit while also identifying and profusely thanking the people who supported him at every stage. These include his stepmothers, brothers, uncles, cousins and teachers. This, indeed, is one of the lessons the reader ought to learn from the publication: the need to always show gratitude.
Meanwhile, in Part One (My Source) of the book, the author gives an account of his paternal and maternal backgrounds. In Part Two, (Isiah Adedeji Aremu Komolafe), he intimates the reader with his experiences as a child, embracing life as a village boy. This is a segment symbolic to the theme of God’s divine direction in the book. For, being a village boy, he was practically born into the farm. The author gives a vivid account of how his father and his three wives, along with the children, practised subsistence farming. He embraced the farm like every other person born into the environment. If there was any aspect of village life he dreaded, it was going to the farm when the bush path had been drenched by enini the rain water.
In Part Three, Pa Komolafe tells the story of his life in the high school, starting from Methodist High School, Imesi Ile, where he was a pioneer student. There he showed brilliance, finishing brightly where others could not complete the journey, and registering himself as a future leader because he was a prefect. But, what will also interest readers here is how the author met his wife on their first day in primary school and how he had to overcome complicated family connections to secure her as the loving and enduring life partner she has been.
Idimu, a popular area in Lagos, rings loud in the book because it eventually became the writer’s home. While the story of his link to the area is emotionally told between Chapters 11 and 15, another key aspect is the story of his entrepreneurial journey, especially the ‘birth and death’ of his K & S Foods Limited, which is a huge lesson in business and investment. In a down-to-earth manner, Pa Komolafe establishes the forces and intrigues that often make being a businessman a herculean task especially in Nigeria —as they affected his big dream that K & S Foods was.
In all, IF NOT FOR GOD contains life lessons for all and sundry. This is not surprising because the author notes at the beginning that he wants to tell the story of his life for people to know whom he is and learn one or two things from his experiences. He says, through the book, he wants to be known by coming generations whom he also wants to inspire. To him, the book is also a story of his contemporaries since they shared spaces and values. As he, however, tells the very important reality tales, the reader not only learns, they are also entertained. The reason is that some of the incidents narrated invoke more than smiles.
For instance, Pa Komolafe recalls how he could prepare almost all types of traditional foods as a village boy but could not prepare rice. Why? It was a rare food then which, according to him, was taken in their house only thrice a year— including during Christmas and at Easter. Also, the story of how he could not slaughter a cock after the wife of one of his teachers had taught him how to do so will elicit laughter. After teaching him the act, the woman asked him to slaughter one. But, lo and behold, the cock escaped from under his jittery knife and started fumbling about until the woman had to get it captured and killed in another way.
Added to such humorous scenes is the fact that IF NOT FOR GOD will make a very interesting read because of the lucidity of the narration and inspiring language use in it. The author is a natural storyteller. He has been exhibiting this right from when he was a student in Ayedun Ekiti, where he would tickle his mates with gripping stories, day and night, to the extent that some of them were tempted to think that he was older than he claimed. As a result, they nicknamed him ‘Bro 30’. Further contributing to the elegance of presentation are proverbs, biblical verses and other literary injections that enlivened the sentences and passages.
People sensitive to good grammar also have some things to underline in the book. When the author recalled how his grandmother treated him the first day they met, he said, “She held me grandmotherly”. The use of that adverb — grandmotherly— is novel. Also, on Page 79, the author masterly handled ‘comprised’ without adding ‘of’ to it as many wrongly do. And, if you ask a lot of fellows the full meaning of ‘M. C.’, they will wrongly say, ‘Master of Ceremony’. Pa Komolafe, however, gets it right on Page 109 of the book where he gives it as ‘master of ceremonies’. Because it is not just one ceremony that an MC handles, he is a master of ceremonies, not master of ceremony. This is how standard the language of delivery is in the cleanly printed, beautifully produced book. It is simple but rich, friendly but elegant.
If there are some omissions or mix-ups to be corrected in the coming editions, they are just few. On pages 50 and 51, for example, ‘a woman’ and ‘care for’ respectively come as one word. Also, ‘aara’ is referred to as the god of thunder on Page 127. It seems what the author means is Sango, who is known to be the thunder deity.
On the whole, IF NOT FOR GOD is a great story that must be told. One is, therefore, confident to recommend it for every cadre of society. It harbours vital lessons for the young and old, as well as for all groups and races.
