From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has asked the Federal Government to return to the drawing board and chart a way forward for the nation.

Soyinka stated this in an online Sunday Sun’s inquiry about his thoughts on the state of the nation, particularly the insecurity bedevilling the country and secessionist agitations.

Amongst the questions posed to Soyinka were his position on the demand for the restructuring of the country and ban on open grazing; the demand by the Southern governors and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors on insecurity; how to curtail insecurity in the country and the agitation for self determination, particularly in the South West which has been gaining momentum as a result of rallies staged by the agitators in Ibadan and Osogbo.

Soyinka, however, said that he understood the anxieties behind the questions, which were, of course, shared by any right thinking citizen.

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Therefore, in his online correspondence with Sunday Sun, Soyinka said that he aligned himself with those who recognised that it was crunch time for the nation.

The emeritus professor of comparative literature added that warnings have been sternly, objectively, and constructively articulated on numerous fora and across diverse group interests and affiliations, but were not only ignored, but derided.

“All I can do is ally myself with those who recognise that it is crunch time for the nation. Warnings have been sternly, objectively, constructively articulated on numerous fora and across diverse group interests and affiliations.

“Those warnings have not only been ignored, but derided, sometimes with childish glee. No wonder many have given up on words and taken to action, however, limited, if only to preserve their sanity and derive some value from their civic existence. That summatively is where I am to be found at the moment.

“To all your questions, I have only one response:  Go back to the drawing board, then resume the journey,” Soyinka said.