In a symbolic act of protest that captured global attention, **Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka**, made good on his promise to **destroy his U.S. green card** following **Donald Trump’s** victory in the **2016 presidential election**.
Speaking at Oxford University’s **Ertegun House** on **November 2, 2016**, before the election results were announced, Soyinka declared that if Trump won, he would begin a personal “**Wolexit**” — severing ties with the United States.
> “The moment they announce his victory, I will cut my green card myself and start packing up,” the playwright had vowed.
True to his word, shortly after Trump’s win, Soyinka confirmed at a conference in **South Africa** that he had carried out the act.
> “I have already done it; I have disengaged. I have done what I said I would do,” he said. “I had a horror of what is to come with Trump. I threw away the card, and I have relocated — back to where I have always been.”
Soyinka obtained his **U.S. permanent residency (green card)** in the 1990s during a political sabbatical at **Emory University**, assisted by the late **President Jimmy Carter**.
His decision to discard it, he said, was a personal protest against what he described as **Trump’s xenophobic and divisive rhetoric** targeting **Blacks, Hispanics, and Muslims** during the campaign.
> “As long as Trump is in charge, if I absolutely have to visit the United States, I prefer to go in the queue for a regular visa like everyone else,” Soyinka added.
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### **Background: How Soyinka’s Green Card ‘Wolexit’ Worked**
A **U.S. green card holder** can voluntarily renounce permanent residency by filing **Form I-407** — a “Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status” — with the **U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)** or at a U.S. consulate.
Alternatively, a person can effectively lose residency by ceasing to live in the U.S. and showing intent to abandon it, as Soyinka did.
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### **Recent Twist: U.S. Revokes Soyinka’s Visa**
Nearly nine years later, Soyinka again made headlines after the **U.S. Consulate-General in Lagos** reportedly **revoked his non-immigrant visa**.
In a letter dated **October 23**, the consulate requested the Nobel laureate to submit his passport for visa cancellation, citing “additional information obtained after issuance.”
Soyinka, who expressed surprise over the decision, said he was **not accused of any specific wrongdoing**. He explained that his visa application followed a notification from the **U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)** regarding an **audit of his tax returns**.
> “I only wanted to resolve the tax issue to avoid being branded a ‘tax dodger’ by the U.S.,” he said.
The celebrated writer, whose works have long blended art with activism, remains unfazed — just as he did in 2016 when he tore up his green card as a statement of principle.
