It is of course the nature of historical contraction that the shortest distance to a historical destination is never a straight line.

It is only through books that we partake of the great harvest that is human civilization across the ages.

Informed by our sad experience of history, we require nothing short of a foundation for lasting democracy.

Even now, we make no apologies for the choice we made. The sacrifices we made were selfless. The options we offered were patriotic while the paths we chose were well thought out.

Most importantly, nothing has happened to change my conviction that freedom and the love of liberty remain the essential defining attributes of our national character as a people.

Debate and divergence of views can only enrich our history and culture.

The challenge as we saw in the Nigerian project was to restructure the economy decisively in the direction of a modern free market as an appropriate environment for cultivation of freedom and democracy and the natural emergence of a new social order.