I Predicted Trump Would Cancel Green Cards – Wole Soyinka
Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has said he foresaw the United States embarking on mass revocation of visas and green cards under Donald Trump.
In an interview with BBC News Pidgin on Wednesday, the celebrated playwright, whose US visa was recently withdrawn, said he anticipated such measures the moment Trump assumed the presidency.
“The first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards,” Soyinka said.
“This is a petty-minded dictator, you see how he deals with his objects of hate. We saw that dark side of the American side. There were more killings, extrajudicial killings by the police of black people, of minorities, during that build-up, during the campaign, and on account of hate rhetoric, the hate rhetoric of this individual.
“I saw it and I said, listen very carefully — and you can go and check this – I said, ‘When that man comes to power, the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards’.”
Soyinka’s comments come amid rising diplomatic tensions after Trump labelled Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” accusing the government of genocide against Christians.
The US president also warned that America would “come in gun-ablazing” if the Nigerian government failed to halt the killings, a statement that has sparked widespread alarm and condemnation.
The Nobel laureate, a known critic of Trump, had previously vowed to destroy his US green card once Trump took office — a promise he kept shortly after the inauguration.
“I have already done it, I have disengaged (from the United States). I have done what I said I would do,” Soyinka, then 82, said at an education conference at the University of Johannesburg, according to AFP.
“I had a horror of what is to come with Trump… I threw away the (green) card, and I have relocated, and I’m back to where I have always been,” he added, referring to Nigeria.
In July, the US Department of State introduced new visa rules for Nigerian citizens, limiting most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas to single entry and a three-month validity period.
Soyinka later confirmed in Lagos that his B1/B2 visa had been revoked.
A letter from the US Consulate dated October 23, 2025, requested the return of his visa for “physical cancellation,” which he dismissed as “a joke.”
“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,” the Consulate stated.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
