The popular saying which urges us not to judge a book by its cover must have miscalculated on the book “Colors of Perception’’, an autobiography. This is because, from its cover, you can judge that the book offers different colours of an individual man service to his fatherland written by Odunaro, a renowned serial publicist. Colours of Perception is in a way beyond an autobiography. It is a historical rendition from the twilight of military rule days in Nigeria, up to the present moment. The book is elegant, beautiful and seductively inviting at first contact. It possesses aesthetic power, therefore, the publisher deserves kudos for producing such an arresting touch of design. The artiste who designed the book’s cover wrote a voluminous thesis about colours of perception without saying anything. Odunaro was encircled in the mid of rainbow colours, inside this arch of colours stood the author harmlessly looking, but to those multiple colours of red, orange, blue, green, indigo and violet ministered, the artist seemed to be using this to represent the job of a publicist, who on daily basis ministers to various services and public and who in turn minister to him. The 318-page book written in a lucid and flowing journalistic language is accessible to all and sundry. If anyone is in doubt of the strategic and important roles of media advisors especially to a government official, Colors of Perception instantly opens a visual into the role they play.
Divided into 38 chapters, it tells the story of the early years and education of the autobiographer who calls himself an accidental journalist. The book concluded with a chapter that details his involvement in the culture of his Yewa people. With the title of his book and design, the reader will be served furies like the many colours of the rainbow. Therein, you will find the bold Odunaro who though hails from Ogun State lived his formative years in the South East of Nigeria the present day Abia State. The polities of his locality in Ugohiaih in Ukwa of Abia State became his first encounter with how men and women gather together as a political party so that they can shape the lives of their people. Armed with the mastery of the language of the people, and the first degree in Political Science from the University of Calabar, the young graduate easily meshed into the lives of the people of Obohian locals’ in-spite of the nature of the Igbo society. Though Odunaro in the book explains his sojourn into journalism as accidental, his narration of the process of how he became a journalist has a tinge of hard work and determination.
It was said that the accident of history lands us into our destiny, but mental acquisitions are the only qualification that will take our destinies further. Before his employment at the Sun Ray Newspaper; the first all-colour newspaper in Nigeria at the time, Odunaro had at the time equipped himself with what would be useful for the practice of journalism, which are writing and analytical skills. By the time he was employed, it became natural for him to make the profession a part of his destined route. The author steamed in journalism working for Sun Ray as an Ondo State correspondent and eventually moving to Lagos, though not prepared for the rigour he later encountered as the Chief Press Sectary to Military Administrator of Ogun State and the civilian government Chief Aremo Olusegun Oshoba; the Speaker of the House of Representative and even his present job in Abuja. A thread that unites journalism with the job of publicists is a sacredness with which we view the works, while the journalist guides the world jealously in the process of communicating it to the world. Publicists are also mindful of the word he sends out on behalf of his principal to the public. The reader will encounter things journalists do with what is called breaking news in Odunaro’s colours of perception, especially how he agitated and was excited by the report he got on the soldiers who were arraigned by the Gen. Sanni Abacha Military Government. The story of how the author trasitted from being a reporter to becoming a manager of reports, which publicists are. The reader will read how the author did not just fold his hands and expect providence to connect him with Captain Sam-Ewa with him he worked as Chief Press Secretary, for upcoming youths of today who want to climb the ladder of the rough road to the top, Colors of Perception is a must-read for them. They should pay attention to how the author took his destiny into his hands and eventually ruled his destiny. Chapters 6 to chapter 22 are devoted to the audacity of the author in public service as an image maker to top government officials. The narration of how Odunaro learnt the ropes of the job of an image-maker and became the master of the trade. The book mirrors a man who worked diligently and stands before great men which also show that loyalty is like a talisman. A particular encounter he had with the successor of his boss, former Governor Osoba with the Successor Governor Gbenga Daniel, which he explained in this book to relate this relationship. Dr Gbenga Daniel met Odunaro, who never weaver from his loyalty to his former boss, the brilliance with which the author handled his job in Ogun State spoke for him in the House of Representatives when Demeji Bankole needed a publicist as well. In chapters 23-33 the author documented the battles which he and his boss Honorable Demeji Bankole fought at the green chambers while many battles were in the public domain at the time. In this book, the author documented the battles for posterity. From the beginning to the end of the book a reader goes on a journey with the author who narrates his rise from obscurity to the top of his profession.
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