*Colonel Moses Fasanya, former military governor of Abia and Ondo states  spoke to Vanguard on the state of Nigeria at 52.  Excerpts:

By Bashir Adefaka

52 YEARS after independence, how would you say we have fared as a country?  
Honestly speaking, we are not yet where we are supposed to be as a sovereign nation.  But that is not to discourage us.  Our collective responsibility as a nation can take us to our desired destination. And by this I mean the entire citizenry of Nigeria should have that very hope, that willingness to transform our fatherland to a greater nation.

How close are we and what steps should we take to becoming a nation?
As a system we are asleep.  We get our priorities wrong and until we get our priorities right, we cannot make headway. How do I mean?  For example, we dissipate energy on minute things.  When for instance you talk of ethnicity, it is not the issue now.

We only have two classes of people in Nigeria today: whether you are from Borno State or you are from Bayelsa State, if both of you are poor, you belong to the same class.  And poverty has no respect for tribe, ethnicity whatever.  So we need to wake up from our slumber and work towards greatness.  And to do that we need to work as a nation not as all these issues of ethnicity that are really taking us backward.  You are talking about an Igbo man, a Fulani man, a Yoruba man.  That is not the issue now.  We want dedicated leadership, we want patriotism, we want people who are focused on making Nigeria a great nation.  So, the issue of where somebody comes from should no longer debar us.

I’ll give you an example even though during the military regime, when General Murtala died, the whole nation mourned and that showed a focus as a nation.  Anything outside that would be backpedalling.  So, we need national re-orientation as a nation.  We need to know where we are going as Nigerians and how to get there.  Where you come from is not issue, we need collective effort towards making Nigeria the real One Nation One People.  Yes, we have had terrible situations in the country but our unity we must guard jealously.  We’ve had an unfortunate Civil War and that should be the last in our nation.  No nation can go to war to fight and remain the same.

So, as far as I am concerned, we should not allow religious issues, ethnicity and all that to debar us from focusing on developing Nigeria.  We have all the wherewithal; human and material resources to develop and make Nigeria a great nation.  So, nobody should tell us to go our difference ways!  Which way?

After the Civil War, we cannot afford to separate.  That is the truth.  In fact, I’m saying with every sense of responsibility to the future generation of this country that there can be no peaceful separation.  Instead, it will result to violent disintegration.  So, we have to be very, very careful.  Whatever we think, say or do, we should be mindful of the unity of Nigeria.

Take for instance the recent development in Nigeria, a lot of things have been left for long without being attended to until they blew out of proportion.  I think it is time for us to come around and sit down as a people.Today, the greatest threat to our security is the unemployment of our children who have graduated for years and are not employed.  All other things you are talking about are secondary.  As long as you are able to get that solved, other problems will be resolved and things will take shape.

On speculations that the military might return to power
Nobody should be talking  about military intervention.  I think that era is gone and gone for good.  We as a nation need to take our proper position in the comity of nations and it is only by democratic governance that we can attain that.  Mistake of the past must not be committed again.  When you make a mistake once, you should correct that mistake.  You should not be practicing mistake.  When you practice mistake, it is deliberate and it’s no longer a mistake.