New book on Obasanjo’s letters attracts accolades from Kukah, Anyaoku, others

ANEW book on letters by former President Olusegun Obasanjo tagged, The Letterman: Inside the ‘ Secret’ Letters of Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo’, is attracting accolades from senior citizens, including a former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku; the Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah and a former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service ( FIRS), Ifueko Omogui Okauru.

The book was written by the Editor- in- Chief of Premium Times, Musikilu Mojeed.

Commendations also come from Toyin Falola, the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair Professor in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin, United States; Dan Agbese, respected columnist and writer, who was also Editor- in- Chief and cofounder of Newswatch, a foremost and trail- blazing investigative magazine; and Kadaria Ahmed, founder/ Chief Executive Officer at Radio Now 95.3FM, Lagos, television host, and former Editor of NEXT newspaper.

The Letterman, a 492- page, 25chapter narrative non- fiction, curates some of the most significant and historical letters written and received by former President Obasanjo, which compellingly tell the story of his life. A number of these letters, written to dignitaries in Nigeria and around the world have never been publicly seen. The book will be presented to the public in Abuja, today. But those who have seen and reviewed the publication, ahead of its unveiling, commended the work whose chronicle unfolds from the time of Obasanjo as General Officer Commanding the Third Marine Commando Division and his wartime efforts, through his tenure as military Head of State between 1976 and 1979, his continental liberation struggles and political activism from the 1970s to 1999, his civilian presidential term from 1999 to 2007, as well as his post- presidency era.

Kukah has these words: “In the book, The Letterman, Musikilu Mojeed introduces a new genre in presidential history and record- keeping. No single Nigerian has captured and traversed the memories of Nigerians like President Obasanjo. Straddling generations, famous for his role in the civil war, through accepting the instruments of surrender of the Biafran army, noted for having the longest period of service as Nigeria’s Head of State and President, complex, forceful or brash, he stands out as the only person to have put down almost his every thought in writing.”