Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka says he had long predicted that the United States government would embark on mass revocations of visas and green cards.
In an interview published Wednesday on BBC News Pidgin, the world-renowned writer whose own US visa was recently revoked recalled that he had anticipated such actions the moment Donald Trump assumed office as President of the United States.
“This is a petty-minded dictator,” Soyinka said. “You see how he deals with his objects of hate. We saw the dark side of America more killings, extrajudicial killings of Black people and minorities during that build-up and campaign. Because of his hate rhetoric, I knew that once that man came to power, the first thing he would do was cancel even the green cards.”
Soyinka’s remarks come amid growing diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the United States after Trump recently designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing alleged Christian persecution. In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Trump warned that the US might “intervene militarily” if the Nigerian government failed to stop the killings a comment that has sparked widespread panic and condemnation both at home and abroad.
The Nobel laureate, who had been a vocal critic of Trump, famously declared before Trump’s first inauguration that he would destroy his US green card if Trump won the presidency, a promise he later fulfilled.
“I have already done it. I have disengaged from the United States,” Soyinka said in 2016 during an education conference at the University of Johannesburg. “I had a horror of what was to come with Trump… I threw away the green card and relocated back to where I have always belonged, Nigeria.”
In July 2025, the US Department of State announced changes to its non-immigrant visa policy for Nigerian citizens, stating that most non-diplomatic visas would now be single-entry with a three-month validity period.
Shortly afterward, Soyinka disclosed during a media parley in Lagos that his B1/B2 visa had been revoked. According to a letter from the US Consulate dated October 23, 2025, the embassy requested that he return the visa “for physical cancellation” a demand Soyinka described as “a joke.”
The letter further advised “If you have plans to travel to the United States, you must apply again to re-establish your qualifications for a new non-immigrant visa.”
While Soyinka said he was not told the reason for the revocation, the US Mission in Nigeria clarified that visas are “a privilege, not a right,” and can be revoked at any time at the discretion of the US government.
Soyinka reiterated that he chose to leave the US voluntarily.
“I said I wouldn’t wait to be told to come for a re-interview or to be kicked out. I prefer to kick myself out—it’s more dignified,” said the 91-year-old playwright. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist commenting on what I knew would happen under Trump, and he didn’t disappoint.”
He also revealed that, shortly after Trump took office, he received a letter from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notifying him of a tax audit.
“After he took office, I got a letter from the IRS telling me to report for an audit. The coincidence was very impressive,” Soyinka said, adding that he cooperated fully with the process.
Soyinka explained that the audit covered about five years of tax filings and was likely a routine exercise. He personally visited the US Embassy to discuss the issue, saying he wanted to avoid being misrepresented as a tax evader.
“I told them I needed to go in and see the audit because I didn’t want to be portrayed as a tax dodger being chased around the world,” he said.
Despite his criticism of the US government under Trump, Soyinka emphasized that he maintains cordial relations with the American people and embassy staff, who he said have always treated him with respect and courtesy.
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