Renowned playwright and activist, Professor Wole Soyinka, has disclosed that the United States revoked his visa, years after he warned that such actions would follow the rise of former President Donald Trump.
Soyinka said he was recently contacted by the US Consulate in Lagos and asked to submit his visa for cancellation, an instruction he found unnecessary.
He explained that the development did not surprise him, as he had predicted similar measures when Trump assumed office.
“I said it before he even took power that the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards,” Soyinka said in an interview with BBC News Pidgin, recalling that he had voluntarily discarded his green card in 2016 over concerns about Trump’s leadership style.
According to him, the decision to let go of his US documents was based on principle, not resentment.
He said Trump’s policies at the time had fostered hostility towards immigrants and critics of his administration.
“They wrote to me on October 23 that I should bring my visa for cancellation. I just laughed. I no longer need it,” Soyinka added.
The playwright, who spent several years lecturing in American universities, also revealed that he received a tax audit notice from the US authorities around the same period.
He described the development as “a coincidence that confirmed everything I had said years ago.”
He stressed that the incident did not affect his travel freedom or personal dignity, noting that he had long detached himself from the US system.
Soyinka, who turned 91 this year, stressed that his issue was not with the American people or embassy officials, but with policies that encourage discrimination and hostility.
He reaffirmed his decision never to seek a US visa again, describing his return to Nigeria as a restoration of dignity and independence.“I didn’t wait to be told. I just walked away,” he said.
