Daniel Otera
Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka says the recent revocation of his United States visa didn’t come as a surprise, noting that he had long foreseen such actions from former President Donald Trump.
In an interview with BBC News Pidgin, the 91-year-old literary giant recalled his earlier warning that Trump’s rise to power would bring harsh immigration policies. His comments followed the former US president’s recent move to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
According to Soyinka, his B1/B2 visa was officially revoked by the US Embassy in a letter dated October 23, 2025, asking him to return his passport for “physical cancellation.” He described the demand as “a joke.”
The development comes amid renewed diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the United States, triggered by Trump’s online statements accusing the Nigerian government of genocide against Christians and threatening that America would “come in gun-ablazing” if the killings continued.
Read Also: Soyinka’s U.S. Visa Revocation: A Literary Icon Caught in the Crossfire of Politics, Principle
Reflecting on the period when Trump first emerged as a political force, Soyinka said he had seen the signs early.
“The first thing he will do is cancel even the green
cards,” he recalled.He described Trump as “a petty-minded dictator,” adding,
“You see how he deals with his objects of hate. We saw that dark side of the American system the hate rhetoric, the violence, and the rise in police killings of black people and minorities during his campaign and administration.”
“I said it then, and I repeat it now when that man comes to power, the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards.”
Soyinka’s history of open criticism toward Trump is well known. Shortly after the 2016 US election, he vowed to destroy his permanent residency card, a promise he kept following Trump’s inauguration.
“I have already done it. I have disengaged from the United States,” he told reporters at a conference in Johannesburg. “I had a horror of what was to come with Trump. I threw away the card and returned home.”
The latest visa development appears to reflect a broader shift in US immigration policy. In July 2025, the US Department of State announced new restrictions for Nigerian citizens, limiting most non-diplomatic visas to a single entry valid for only three months.
According to the US Consulate’s letter addressed to Soyinka, if he wishes to travel to the United States again, he will need to “apply anew to re-establish your qualifications for a non-immigrant visa.”