On November 2, 2016, speaking at Oxford University’s Ertegun
House, Soyinka said if Trump won, he would initiate a “Wolexit” by destroying
his green card and severing his ties as a US resident.

“The moment they announce his victory, I will cut my green
card myself and start packing up,” the Nobel laureate had said.

Soyinka obtained the green card during a political
sabbatical at Emory University in the 1990s with assistance from the late US
President Jimmy Carter.

Speaking at a conference in South Africa in 2016, the
internationally acclaimed playwright and poet said he had thrown away the green
card and returned to where he had always been.

“I have already done it; I have disengaged (from the United
States). I have done what I said I would do,” Soyinka had said.

“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.

“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 with
others.”

He described his “Wolexit” as a protest against Trump’s
“xenophobic rhetoric targeting Blacks, Hispanics, and Muslims” during the
presidential election campaign.

A lawful permanent resident like Soyinka (green card holder)
can voluntarily abandon or relinquish their US residency.

This is typically done by filing Form I-407, “Record of
Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status,” with the US Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) or at a US consulate abroad.

Informally, a person may stop residing in the US and
demonstrate an intention to abandon residency, which can lead to loss of
permanent resident status.

The US government has recently revoked Soyinka’s
non-immigrant visa.

In a letter dated October 23 from the American
consulate-general in Lagos, the US government instructed the Nobel laureate to
present his passport for visa cancellation, citing “additional information”
obtained after issuance.

Soyinka, who said he was not informed of any specific
offence linked to the revocation, noted that he had applied for the visa after
he received a letter from the US Internal Revenue Service about an audit for
tax returns.

The renowned playwright explained that his trip was to
resolve the tax issues, adding that he wanted to prevent a situation where the
US might advertise him as a “tax dodger” to the world.