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For the umpteenth time, I have written in this column that I admire historians simply because they always look back. People who look back can easily forecast the future because they learn from history. If one is good at forecasting the future, he or she prepares himself or herself for the worst or the best situations. Here, the majority of citizens did not have the opportunity to hear or see our former Heads of State. It is simply because either our former Heads of State died in exile or were murdered by military mutineers. In Nigeria for example, former Heads of State like Ibrahim Babangida, Buhari, Obasanjo, Yakubu Gowon, Abubakar Abdulsalaam, Shehu Shagari are still alive and serving their country in various capacities. All these former Heads of State have written their memoirs, setting some records straight. The first Head of State of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah died in exile in far away Bucharest, capital of Romania. When he was overthrown, he flew from Hanoi to Guinea where he was made a co-president of that country. At the Villa Sylla, where he lived, he did not make any statement against the usurpers of power. The only thing he did was a book he wrote titled �Dark Days in Ghana.� The book recounted circumstances that led to his overthrow and the roles played by some of his ministers who betrayed him. Sadly, few Ghanaians had the opportunity to read the book because the military who were in control of affairs in Ghana banned the book. As a student and a member of South Africa Students Organization (SASO), some of us had the opportunity to lay hands on the book which we read and passed them on to our colleagues. We dared not take the book out because of fear of being arrested by the soldiers who were looking out for anyone who had a copy of the book. I remember very well when I first had a copy of the Dark Days in Ghana, I did not attend classes for three days as I stayed in the dormitory reading the book. After reading the book, I cursed the day the soldiers took arms and overthrew Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Unlike the Will of Julius Caesar which was not read by Mark Anthony to the people of Rome, some of us had the chance to read Dr. Kwame Nkrumah�s Will bequeathed Ghanaians in the Dark Days in Ghana. Until 1983 when I posted the book to a friend in London who wanted it to do his research, the most valued book in my library was the Dark days in Ghana. General Kotoka, the man who led the 1966 coup that overthrew Dr. Kwame Nkrumah did not live long enough to even contemplate writing a memoir. His life was caught short by Lieutenants Arthur and Yeboah who launched a counter coup against the National Liberation Council (NLC) regime. General Ankrah who took over from Kotoka also had a short-lived rule when he was caught up in a bribery scandal. He was quickly removed from power to pave the way for General Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa, who for the three years that he was at the helm of affairs did not write his memoir. He was executed by the AFRC mutineers. When Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia was overthrown by Acheampong and his co-conspirators, we thought as an intellectual he would write his memoir in exile but nay, he too did not write such an important document before he died in exile. Yes, of cause, like Dr. Nkrumah, the professor wrote many books on different topics but his memoirs, he did not write. All over the world, memoirs of former Heads of State are used as case studies and it really helps a nation to avoid falling into pitches. General Acheampong had a very fine opportunity to write his memoir but he too missed the chance. When he was overthrown in a palace coup, he was not jailed but banished to Trabuom in the Ashanti Region, where he came from. When he was there, he could have used the opportunity to write his memoir but he spent his time complaining and crying over his overthrow. He had an eventful period as a military ruler who ruled Ghana for close to seven years. It was his regime that introduced the successful Operation Feed Yourself, Operation Feed the Factories, Backyard Gardening, the National Pledge and the Charter of the Revolution. One interesting thing about Acheampong was that he never contracted any loan to develop the country. His �Yentua� regime used resources within the country to move the nation forward. Even though it was Acheampong who acquired the presidential jet, he never used it. For the seven years that he ruled the nation, he travelled only once to Togo by road and returned the same day. It was he who introduced the Regional Development Corporations like EREDEC for the Central Region, BARDEC for the Brong Ahafo Region, READYCASH for the Ashanti Region and the rest. If he had written his memoir, we could have learnt a lot about how he was able to manage the affairs of the nation so impressively without going for loan from the IMF. Dr. Hilla Liman, another intellectual, also missed the boat and failed to write his memoir. In his case, some of us were sympathetic to his plight because he lived and died a pauper. He could not have been able to write his memoir because he carried his sickness from the day he was removed from power till he died in 1998. The sad aspect of it was that he could not afford to pay for his medical bills at Korle Bu when he fell seriously ill. Rawlings and his fellow usurpers of power were so cruel to the former president that, they shamelessly refused to pay his Ex-gratia. Did you hear Fulera Limann, the wife of Dr. Hilla Liman telling Ghanaians that, the family was so poor that she had to beg for corn dough from her neigbours to prepare Tuo Zaafi for the family? . How do you then expect a poor former Head of State to get the peace of mind to write a memoir? For nearly two decades, Rawlings held the nation at random as he ruled with iron hands. He had his sordid as well as his glorious moment and his was a regime of bloodbath and murder. His regime faced the severest famine in the history of the nation. He has a lot to write about the murder of the judges, the three former Heads of State and how he was able to quell the more than thirty coups launched against his regime. We have not forgotten about the Account 48 and the time has come for him to explain how that huge sum of money which was seized from the people of Ghana was used. In his case, he is still strong and kicking out very hard. Undoubtedly, his memoir will be a best seller in the bookshops. Destiny is beckoning Kufuor and his Vice, Alhaji Aliu Mahama to write their memoirs. The two had the opportunity to rule this country together successfully for eight years. During the eight years, the Kufuor/Aliu regime introduced many programmes to assuage the suffering of the good people of Ghana. Like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Mr. Kufuor built the Bui Dam and the presidential palace. All these need to be documented in his memoir. Mr. Kufour must tell us in his memoir how he and his vice, Alhaji Aliu Mahama were able to work together in unity. Some of us cannot wait to read the memoirs of these gentlemen because they had eventful and challenging moments as the number one and two gentlemen of the nation. They would be doing posterity more harm than good if they fail to write their memoirs while alive. Alhaji Aliu, in particular, must start writing his memoir simply because he happens to be the only Vice who served for eight years and ended it without any blemish. He is also the only Veep who acted as the president for so long a time when his boss was junketing the globe in search of investors, grants and goodies for the good people of Ghana. One other former Veep, who could have had something good to write about if he had been given the opportunity to complete his term in office was Dr. J.W.S de-Graft Johnson; he served for barely two years under Dr. Hilla Limann before the Peoples National Party government was removed from power. He too fell sick when he went into exile and as such he couldn�t have been able to write his memoir. Posterity will forgive him and his boss for their inability to leave such documents. Co-incidentally, both of them died as paupers. Not a drum was heard and not a soldier discharged their farewell shots when we buried them. President Mills is at the helm of affairs today and he too must seize the moment and start compiling his memoir because time and tide wait for no man. As a former Veep and now a president, he too has a lot to write about. His relationship with Rawlings, which is now sour, must be documented in his memoir. We need to know how he felt when Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings decided to challenge him at the Sunyani Congress. We cannot wait also to read about his visits to Bishop Joshua�s church in Nigeria and the prediction and prophesy about his presidency. Like vultures, we are waiting patiently to devour all these memoirs.