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. |
The work of Nigeria is not complete for as long as there is any one Nigerian who goes to bed on empty stomach. |
It is of course the nature of historical contraction that the shortest distance to a historical destination is never a straight line. |
Our approach to economic development must be modern, focused and in tune with the global trend. |
For as long as our people are held hostage by controllable socio-economic forces, we cannot afford to be indifferent to the ravages of poverty in all its dimensions and ramifications. |
If you ask me to summarise our mission, I would put it this way: We were a military regime that sought to lay the foundations for freedom and liberty in a complex society. |
Democracy opens new vistas and opportunities. We should use the opportunities it offers to correct past mistakes not to blunder anew. |