In the first of what is hoped will henceforth be a regular sight, a Premium Times special print publication has arrived in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Nigeria’s fourth republic.

The publication, “Nigeria: 20 Years of Patchy Democracy”, will be on sale across Nigeria and abroad from June 12, Nigeria’s new Democracy Day.

The 188-page magazine features an incisive front-page column by the Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Hassan Kukah, and exclusive interviews with the three living presidents of Nigeria under the dispensation.

This is one of the rare occasions President Muhammadu Buhari has spoken exclusively to a Nigerian medium since he took office in 2015.

This is also true of former President Goodluck Jonathan who is also giving his first such interview since he left office the same year.

President Olusegun Obasanjo, as usual, holds nothing back in his frank assessment of governance and development after him.

A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Aliyu Modibbo Umar, also dug deep into his memories as a minister and as a bureaucrat at the Aso Rock Villa for decades before that appointment to deliver a splendid review of the development of the nation’s federal capital up to and since the Fourth Republic. You will find it a great piece of insight.

The main section of the magazine contains Premium Times’ trademark bold and in-depth scrutiny of the performance of the polity in the various sectors over the last two decades and everything you want to know about the longest period of civil rule in Africa’s most populous nation and largest economy.

The spotlight roved from politics to governance, development and security; from the economy to education, health, arts, entertainment, and sports.

For record purposes, the magazine also brings you the key presidential inaugural speeches and the names of all who have led the three arms of government from 1999 to 2019.

In the editor’s note, Editor-in-Chief Musikilu Mojeed said: “In the last 20 years, a lot has happened in Nigeria. Our democracy has gone through trying times, learning important lessons along the way, falling short here and there but adjusting and setting its feet on the path of maturity. The light of liberty may be flickering, but it is still shining and illuminating the rough and long road to nationhood.

“In spite of some events in the Fourth Republic that have tested the faith of many Nigerians in the future or even the worth of their country, Premium Times believes this era is worth being interrogated and chronicled, basically for the lessons our experiences in the journey so far offer us for a better tomorrow. That is our reason for this publication, the first of such by this medium…

“In this publication, we are taking a deep dive into the gains, milestones, errors and lessons of the first two decades of the Fourth Republic. We believe that it will spur especially the Nigerian readers to reflect and recommit to building a genuinely democratic nation for the benefit of this and future generations.”

The publication marks the beginning of a new periodical by Premium Times Services Limited. It is a collector’s item; please grab a copy.