TheCable

Former President Goodluck Jonathan; Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation; and Kayode Fayemi, former Ekiti governor, are among dignitaries expected to attend the launch of ‘The Letterman’.

The book, which focuses on the letters of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is by Musikilu Mojeed, editor-in-chief of Premium Times.

The book launch will hold on December 1 at Bolton White Apartments, Wuse Zone 7, Abuja.

Obasanjo, who was Nigeria’s first president after the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999, has, over the years, written several open letters on key national issues.

The 492-page book is said to be a product of seven years of “assiduous research”.

At the launch, Matthew Kukah, Catholic bishop of Sokoto diocese, will be the book reviewer; Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, a former chair of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), is the chief presenter, while Yusuf Ali, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and chairman of the governing council of Osun State University, is chairperson of the occasion.

Other dignitaries expected include Yahaya Bello, Kogi governor; Nuhu Ribadu, a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); Adelere Oriolowo, senator representing Osun west; and Babafemi Ojudu, special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on political matters.

“The Letterman: Inside the ‘Secret’ Letters of former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has been described by those who have read it as a trail-blazing literary work,” a statement by the organisers reads.

“The book brings to the front burner the place of letter writing in leadership, governance and politics.

“President Obasanjo seems a perfect pick for this genre of work having demonstrated a consistent penchant for using letters to speak candidly to subordinates, superiors, associates and foreign personalities, not minding the accolades or invectives such letters might generate.

“Meanwhile, many respected personalities have poured encomiums on The Letterman as a pacesetting literary work in the country.

“Among those who have commended the work are a former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku; Bishop Kukah; Omoigui Okauru; Toyin Falola, renowned professor and the Frances and Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin; Dan Agbese, respected columnist and writer, who was also the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Newswatch, a foremost and trail-blazing investigative magazine; and Kadaria Ahmed, founder/CEO at Radio Now 95.3FM Lagos, television host, and former editor of NEXT newspaper.

“The Letterman, a 492-page, 25-chapter 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, as defined by and defining of 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.”