BOOK REVIEW ON THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HON. KENNEDY IKANTU PERETEI’S “A ROPEWALK”, REVIEWED BY FELIX OLAJIDE TALABI ON 7TH DECEMBER, 2024
The book’s statistics are as follows:
Chapters: The book contains ten chapters
Pages: The book comprises 226 pages including the gallery and index.
Lines: The lines from chapter one to chapter ten are made up of 5,723 lines.
Words: The book is made up of 47,388 words.
Character without space: 227,740
Character with space: 274,190
Paragraphs: 791
The author: The author resonates with the reality of life, making A Ropewalk a classical venture that encapsulates the reminiscence of humanity in the book. A Ropewalk is a classical venture that encapsulates the reminiscence of humanity. The author codifies the entire humanity as assigned by divinity from the primus inter pares.
The cover page: The cover is made up of the aesthetical value of the work of art simplified using the artistic advertising principle of simplicity. Starting from the title which is made up of two words, makes the autobiography picturesque, with a clear sharp picture that depicts an iconoclast brilliant gentleman with a smiling face, a colour combination of the front page that connotes the importance of manifest content of a good content analysis for the academia to the whitespace background.
Design: The design is of the utmost quality and deserves commendation. The proof of the quality of the piece starts from the page design; one begins to drool merely looking at the cover.
Chapter Numbers: A Ropewalk is divided into two-digit chapters of ten. Perfectly, ten signifies testimony, law, responsibility and the completeness of order. Therefore, holding A Ropewalk is a corpus of a sexagenarian membrane.
Chapter One describes the childhood of the Arogbo-Ijo boy in the village born six decades ago. It chronicles the family life, the misty form of despicable and obnoxious health services in the rural areas. Despite all these Kennedy came out triumphant, representing the attributes of J. F. Kennedy. The author drew the emotion and the sympathy of all and sundry when he narrated how a pot of hot soup was emptied on his left cheek. Despite this, Kennedy Ikantu Peretei smiles on. The whole essence of chapter one encourages that uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.
Chapter Two describes the secondary school journey, the classmates, teachers, and school prefects’ experience, students’ unrest, sporting activities, and the secondary school final year examination first attempt disappointment. Just as biblical David, Ikantu encouraged himself by taking solace in the statement of a second chance after he garnered three credit passes in the first WAEC attempt. He settled for the cliché: when there is life, there is hope.
Chapter Three focuses on the author’s tertiary education at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. It should be noted that OAU is a first-generation university in Nigeria, not a second-generation university. Of course, there are five of them. The experience of the author reminded us of the good old days in Nigerian universities: the architectural design of the hostels, lecture theatres, well-manicured lawns and flowers. The author’s narrative technique reminds us that there was a country as vividly described by Chinua Achebe, a glorious pass that Nigeria never witnessed again. All students at Ife during the studentship of the author never saw ethnicity divide but, one Nigeria. Of course, the economy was boisterous. Imagine, that Ikantu was able to manage N100 monthly then and still had a surplus in just a year short of four decades. Going through the piece, A Ropewalk revealed the genesis of Ikantu activism. He is so passionate that he prefers to be cheated than cheat others. That actually resonates with the way he fought for the liberation of chemistry students of double honours as captured on pages 46 and 47 of the autobiography. The experience eventually metamorphosed into partisan politics as expressed in chapter eight page 131. The chapter concluded with a youthful exuberance that characterises the euphoria of being an undergraduate, and unprepared family life started.
Chapter Four chronicles how the sexagenarian sojourned as ajuwaya (as you were) in Imo State. Of course, his first pay which included a monthly stipend and other allowances totalling N220 was more than double the statutory N100 monthly feeding allowance being provided from home. No wonder, he lived like a king among other ajuwayas. Definitely, he couldn’t have been naughty with Eze’s youngest wife because Lare (his first wife) gave the needed comfort any woman could offer.
Chapter Five of the autobiography vividly describes the author’s life in Lagos after the National Youth Service Corps. The fear of Lagos is the beginning of life. All the money saved during the NYSC was not sufficient to rent an apartment in Lagos. This is a great lesson for the incoming generation that life is not a bed of roses, neither, it is full of thorns. It is full of ups and downs. It is like an endless ocean and its vastness. Ikantu at one time or the other ventured into soap-making to make both ends meet. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. The story in chapter five described the toil and hustles in Lagos: from being soap-making to being a lesson teacher, from an amateur estate agent to being a bread distributor, all put together contributed to the story of the great man we all gather to celebrate today. The touching moment in the chapter five episode is the demise of Tinuola Peretei (the great mother); despite her labour on Ikantu, she did not wait to reap the fruit of her labour. May her gentle soul rest in peace. In a cycle of mortality, the themes of love, conflict and beliefs are definite. Therefore, chapter five was concluded with the author’s contact with The Grail Message which he quickly embraced as a new way of life.
Chapter Six chronicles another missionary journey to Ondo State, this time around it was with a pitfall. Little or never did he know that danger loomed ahead. Towards the end of the chapter was a dirge. Another threnody heralded chapter six; within seven months, the hit was too much for the young guy of 33 years then. Ladies and gentlemen, with the experience codified in A Ropewalk, you would agree with Kofi Awoonor that the firewood of this world is only for those who can take heart. Permit me to quote the third stanza of the poem “Songs of Sorrow” by Kofi Awoonor:
My people, I have been somewhere
If I turn here, the rain beats me
If I turn there, the sun burns me
The firewood of this world
Is only for those who can take heart
That is why not all can gather it.
The world is not good for anybody
But you are so happy with your fate;
Alas! the travellers are back
All covered with debt.
Despite all odds, we gather here today to celebrate the rugged man, Kennedy Ikantu Peretei.
Chapter Seven: The chapter discusses the launch to the journalism world, the meeting of Chief Aare Mayegun of Apoi-land, in the person of Bayode Ojo, and the collaboration and partnership in Mentors Communications and Rootswatch Magazine. The sequential arrangement of chapter seven is typical of the fact that every dark cloud has a silver lining; but after every storm, there is a rainbow. In the Yoruba parlance, it is like eni eegun nle ko ma sare; bo se n re araye lon re ero orun. It would be an understatement to say that the season ushered in prosperity in-ground style; from The Nigerian Local Government Chairmen Merit Award (LOGMA) to the Governor’s Merit Award and African Women Leaders Diamond Award, combined with active politics; it was a blessing indeed.
However, the period was not completely smooth, especially with Madam X as one of the characters that shaped the story starting from the year 2000, the rest is history. One of the events that gave flavour to the same chapter seven is the third marriage journey.
Chapter Eight The chapter chronicles the political and public office journey of the author. The chapter dwells on political activities starting from the university days to meeting political allies in Ondo State; from being elected as the state financial secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State to the author’s attempt at the Ondo State House of Assembly seat; from superintending the Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board to his appointment as the Interim Chairman of Ese-Odo Local Government Area Council. Worthy of note as an Interim Local Government Chairman is the scorecard of this noble son of Arogbo-Ijo, written on pages 153-154. Without any equivocation, Kennedy Ikantu Peretei is a grassroots politician. Despite being skimmed out of various primary elections, he remains faithful to his political party.
Chapter Nine: Chapter Nine explains the antecedence of Peretei as the opposition spokesperson; down to the State Working Committee and the State Caretaker Committee. Those of us in Ondo State will agree that Peretei indeed was up to the task as spine doctor for PDP.
Chapter Ten: The last chapter of the piece concludes by being philosophical and retiring to fatalism. He gave his account of stewardship recognising that the Almighty God is supreme in the kingdom of men and thus; gives power to whom He wants. Therefore, he follows his convictions by corroborating the scriptures for godliness and contentment in the world of self-discovery. The chapter further advocates for courage in the face of adversity, a positive mindset in the face of adversity, and a clear vision where it is cloudy. The author rounds off the story of his life by appreciating that life is worth living.
Conclusion
The autobiography of Hon. Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, A Ropewalk, is a classical venture that encapsulates the reminiscence of humanity. It is noteworthy in this autobiography that the author neither hid his days of struggles nor his days of opulence. The ups and downs of life are definite therefore, mortals, by providence are baptised to fate. As Tony Momoh rightly said: “each man his time,” the autobiography of the iconoclastic boy-turned-man, teaches moral values, patience, endurance, tolerance confidence and hope. The sexagenarian, through ruggedness and doggedness, has been able to gather the firewood of this world: the reminiscence from birth to the diamond jubilee; his conviction; his confession, A Ropewalk, a masterpiece.
With the quality of work put together, A Ropewalk is recommended for academics, politicians as well as the younger generations. As a matter of fact, the book is a must-read for all and sundry
