Premium Times Editor-in-Chief to release book on Obasanjo’s letters

The Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, Musikilu Mojeed, will, on December 1, 2022, release his debut book to the Nigerian public.

The book, The Letterman: Inside the ‘Secret’ Letters of former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, published by Premium Times Books, will be unveiled at a ceremony in Abuja, after which it will be available in bookshops.

The 25-chapter book curates some of the most significant and historical letters written and received by former President Obasanjo, which tell the story of his life, as defined by the story of his country, Nigeria and the larger African continent. A number of these letters, written to dignitaries in Nigeria and around the world, have never been publicly seen.

According to the publishers, the 492-page book is a product of seven years of assiduous research, whose chronicle unfolds from the time of Obasanjo as General Officer Commanding the Third Marine Commando 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.

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“These letters essentially tell a story that is as deeply personal as it is painstakingly national, and global”, Ololade Bamidele, who coordinated the production of the book, said. 

In his foreword to the book, a former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Emeka Anyaoku, said, “I believe that the Olusegun Obasanjo letters will find a prominent place in the chapters of Nigeria’s contemporary history as informative insights into the national affairs of the country when they were written.”

Mojeed is a multiple award-winning journalist and a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

A 2012 Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, and 2009 Ford Foundation International Fellow at The City University of New York, Mojeed was a judge of the UNESCO World Press Freedom Awards, completing his three-year tenure in 2016.

He is the president of the Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI) and was member of the expert council of the Fetisov Journalism Awards, the world’s biggest journalism contest in terms of cash prizes.