Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has described United States President Donald Trump as a “petty-minded dictator,” saying his rise to power fuelled hate-driven violence and deepened racial tensions in the country.
Prof. Soyinka stated this in an interview with BBC News Pidgin on Wednesday
The latest remarks come a week after he disclosed that his U.S. visa had been revoked by the U.S. Embassy in Lagos on October 23.
The playwright said Trump’s presidency exposed what he called the “dark side” of America, citing a rise in extrajudicial killings of black people and other minorities.
“This is a petty-minded dictator. You see how he deals with his objects of hate,” Soyinka said.
“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.”
He recalled warning years earlier that Trump’s administration would target immigrants.
“When that man comes to power, the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards,” Soyinka said.
Soyinka, who had previously destroyed his U.S. green card in protest after Trump’s 2016 election, said he left the United States voluntarily, adding that he would not reapply for a visa.
“I would rather kick myself out than be kicked,” he said.
In response, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria said visa decisions are confidential and that “visas are a privilege, not a right.”
Wole Soyinka also said he once received a tax-audit letter from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service shortly after Trump’s election, a coincidence he found significant given his earlier warnings about the former president’s policies.
The interview comes amid renewed diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and the United States, which recently redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under Trump’s administration and issued warnings over alleged violence against Christians.
