Reverred elder statesman, Professor Wole Soyinka, yesterday declared his stand on the agitation for Biafra sweeping across the country’s South-East and parts of the South-South.

Baring his mind in an exclusive interview on Channels Television, the Nobel Laureate emphasised the need for the country’s leadership to approach the issue in a more diplomatic way.

He advised said that every ethnic group should be made to feel like a part of the country and good old dialogue is the way to go.

His words: “I wrote an article during the war that Biafra cannot be defeated. People misunderstood what I was saying.

“Once an idea has taken hold, you cannot destroy that idea. You may destroy the people, the carriers of that idea on the battle field but ultimately it’s not the end of the story.

“Let’s not take this position of ‘don’t even talk about it’, ‘under my watch this will never happen’, don’t say things like that. Go into that environment and ask ‘what is it that we can do to make you happy and feel part of this entity?’

“Listen to some other Biafrans and ask them why they want to stay (and say) ‘this is what we are ready to push as the overall authority in this area’.

“Don’t go around saying ‘the sovereignty of the country is indivisible, it’s non-negotiable’ all that kind of language will only make matters worse.”

•Photo shows Prof. Wole Soyinka.