wole soyinka recounts us visa ordeal, says he received tax audit letter after destroying green card

Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has spoken about his long-standing decision to sever ties with the United States, revealing that he received a tax audit letter from US authorities shortly after he destroyed his Green Card in 2016.

Soyinka, who made the revelation in a recent interview, explained that the audit letter arrived not long after he publicly announced the destruction of his US permanent residency card a symbolic protest against the election of Donald Trump as president in November 2016.

“I received a tax audit letter after I destroyed my Green Card,” Soyinka said, adding that he found the timing “rather curious.” He noted that the incident came as a surprise because he had always fulfilled his tax obligations during his time as a US resident.

The renowned playwright and social critic clarified that the decision to destroy his Green Card was purely symbolic and rooted in his personal values. “It was a matter of principle,” he said. “I felt that the election of Donald Trump represented a departure from the democratic ideals America once stood for.”

Soyinka, who has lived and taught in several universities across the United States, said he has not applied for a new US visa since then. However, he noted that the country remains part of his professional and academic life, with many of his works still taught in American institutions.

“I have no quarrel with America as a nation or with the American people,” he said. “My protest was directed at a particular leadership and what it represented.”

The 89-year-old Nobel Laureate had first made global headlines in 2016 when he announced that he would tear up his Green Card if Donald Trump won the US election a promise he fulfilled shortly afterward. The move drew both praise and criticism, with many interpreting it as an act of defiance against rising populism and intolerance.

Soyinka’s latest comments come amid renewed discussions about the treatment of foreign residents in the United States and the experiences of prominent African intellectuals in Western societies.

Despite the controversy that followed his 2016 protest, Soyinka remains steadfast in his decision. “I have no regrets,” he reiterated. “It was a statement of conscience, and I stand by it.”