Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has claimed he foresaw the mass revocation of visas and green cards by the United States, saying he had long predicted that such actions would follow once Donald Trump assumed office as President. Speaking in an interview with BBC News Pidgin published on Wednesday, the world-renowned writer — whose own U.S. visa was recently revoked — said his prediction was rooted in his understanding of Trump’s character. “This is a petty-minded dictator,” Soyinka said. “You see how he deals with his objects of hate. We saw that dark side of the American system — more killings, extrajudicial killings of black people, of minorities, during that build-up, during the campaign, and on account of hate rhetoric. I saw it and I said, listen carefully — when that man comes to power, the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards.” His remarks come amid worsening diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the U.S. after President Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” alleging a “Christian genocide.” The U.S. leader further threatened military intervention if the Nigerian government failed to stop the killings, a statement that has stirred global criticism and fear. Soyinka, an outspoken critic of Trump, had famously vowed in 2016 to destroy his U.S. Green Card once Trump was sworn in — a promise he later fulfilled. “I have already done it. I have disengaged from the United States. I had a horror of what was to come with Trump,” he said at the time. The 91-year-old playwright recently revealed that the U.S. Embassy revoked his B1/B2 visa through a letter dated October 23, 2025. The Consulate directed him to bring in his passport for the “physical cancellation” of the visa — an instruction he described as “a joke.” According to the embassy letter, Soyinka must reapply if he wishes to travel to the United States again. But the laureate said he has no plans to do so. “I’m not going to wait to be told to come for a reinterview or simply told, ‘Get out!’ I don’t like to be kicked out; I like to kick myself out — it’s more dignified.” Soyinka disclosed that his visa issue followed an earlier notice from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) informing 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 for me was very impressive,” he said. He explained that the audit covered a five-year period and that he had voluntarily informed the U.S. Embassy about it to avoid any misunderstanding. “I didn’t want to be advertised as a tax dodger owing the United States money,” Soyinka told journalists. The U.S. Mission in Nigeria, responding to inquiries, later clarified that visas are a privilege, not a right, and can be revoked at any time at the discretion of the U.S. government. Despite his criticisms of Trump’s policies, Soyinka maintained that his personal relationship with the American people remains cordial, saying he was always treated with respect whenever he visited the embassy.
