Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has said he predicted the mass revocation of visas and green cards by the United States government.

In an interview published by BBC News Pidgin on Facebook on Wednesday, the world-renowned writer, whose visa was recently revoked by the US, said he had foreseen that once Donald Trump assumed office as President, “the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards.”

Soyinka stated, “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 remarks come amid rising diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the United States following Trump’s recent designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged Christian genocide in the country.

Trump, in a series of posts on X, had warned that if the Nigerian government failed to stop the killings, the United States would intervene militarily, “coming into Nigeria gun-ablazing.” His comments have generated widespread concern and pushback both within and outside Nigeria.

Soyinka, a long-time critic of Trump, had previously vowed to destroy his US Green Card once Trump became president, a decision he has since carried out.

“I have already done it, I have disengaged (from the United States). I have done what I said I would do,” Soyinka said in an earlier statement at the University of Johannesburg, according to AFP.

He added, “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” – referring to his homeland, Nigeria.

In July this year, the US Department of State announced a new visa policy for Nigerian citizens. According to a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, “most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens of Nigeria will be single-entry visas with a three-month validity period.”

Soyinka had disclosed during a media parley last Tuesday in Lagos that his B1/B2 visa had been revoked by the US Embassy. The US Consulate later confirmed the revocation in a letter addressed to him on October 23, 2025, requesting that he submit his visa for “physical cancellation,” a request Soyinka described as “a joke.”

The letter further stated, “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.”

Although Soyinka said he was not informed of the reason for the visa withdrawal, the US Mission in Nigeria clarified in a response to The Punch that visas issued by the United States are “a privilege, not a right.”

The Mission’s spokesperson explained, “Visas are a privilege, not a right. Every country, including the United States, can determine who enters its borders. Visas may be revoked at any time, at the discretion of the U.S. government, whenever circumstances warrant.”

Speaking further during his BBC interview, the 91-year-old playwright, who said he would never reapply for a US visa, explained that he left the country voluntarily because he did not want to be “kicked out.”

“I said I’m not going to wait to be told to come for a reinterview or simply told, ‘Get out! The green card is cancelled!’ That’s all. People failed to understand. Even though I said it, people failed to accept it. I said I don’t like to be kicked out; I like to kick myself out, it’s more dignified,” Soyinka stated.

He added that he anticipated the Trump administration’s actions, noting, “I knew I would not be able to resist making comments on what I knew would happen, and sure enough, he did not disappoint me.”

Soyinka also mentioned receiving a letter from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notifying him of a tax audit shortly after Trump assumed office.

“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.

During the Lagos media parley, Soyinka explained that the audit did not come as a surprise, describing it as a normal process.

He told journalists, “I think it’s important for me to begin by reminding us about the history of this visa, which was issued when an accident happened to my Green Card, so it became no longer valid. Unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at it, not long after that, maybe by accident or maybe it’s related or not, I got a letter from the Internal Revenue Service of the United States of America saying that an audit of my tax return was about to take place, going back about five years.”

According to him, tax audits are routine exercises “just to make sure one is not cheating, and that’s okay.”

He recounted, “So I went to the embassy to say this is the letter I just received from the Internal Revenue Service. My Green Card is no longer usable. I don’t want to be advertised as a tax dodger owing the United States money and being chased all over the world with letters and police, and I said I needed to go in and see the audit, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Soyinka maintained that he bears no ill will toward the US Embassy or its staff, noting that he was always treated with respect whenever he visited.

Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, son of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudasiru Obasa, has been confirmed as the new Chairman of Agege Local Government. His emergence follows the resignation of the former council chairman, Tunde Azeez, who had been on medical leave since the inauguration of the current administration.

In a letter presented by the Leader of the House, Adeshina Haruna, Azeez formally resigned from his position, citing ongoing health issues that had hindered his ability to effectively perform his duties since taking office.

Following the reading and approval of the resignation letter during a council session on Wednesday, lawmakers unanimously voted Abdul-Ganiyu into office as the new Local Government Chairman.

According to the council lawmakers, the unanimous vote in his favour was based on his notable contributions to the development of Agege and the need to prevent a leadership vacuum within the local government.

More to come…

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday held a meeting with the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The purpose of the archbishop’s visit was not immediately disclosed, as officials close to the presidency had yet to comment on the engagement.

The meeting came days after United States President Donald Trump alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria and threatened possible US military action if the violence continued.

Trump’s genocide allegation sparked public debate, with the Nigerian government rejecting the claims and maintaining that Christians and Muslims live peacefully in the country.

Last Friday, Trump announced that he had redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern (CPC)” over alleged Christian genocide.

He further warned that the Nigerian government must “better move fast” or face the suspension of all US aid to the country.

The US President also threatened to deploy the “department of war” against terrorists “that attack our cherished Christians.”

In response, the Nigerian presidency stated that President Tinubu and Trump would engage on the issue of alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria.

Photographs released after Tuesday’s meeting showed Tinubu receiving Archbishop Kaigama at the Presidential Villa.