Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has rejected an invitation by the United States Consulate in Nigeria to attend a visa reinterview, warning that under President Donald Trump, whom he described as a “White Idi Amin,” such processes appear suspect and unsafe.
In an exclusive interview with TheNEWS/PMNEWS on Tuesday, 9 September, Soyinka confirmed he had received the Consulate’s notice to appear on Thursday, 11 September, but insisted he would not honour it. The Consulate had sent similar invitations to Nigerians with B1/B2 visas.
“I would like to begin by stressing the fact that, for me, this is not a personal issue. I have no idea how you got to know. By the way, I also have received the letter, which at first I thought was a fake. I thought it was these scammers who sort of prey on those eager to get visas elsewhere, with promise to deliver visas for a certain amount guaranteed. I thought they just picked up my name among others because they knew there was a list of those who have been invited.
“So, at the beginning, I thought it was advance fee fraud because I had never received that kind of letter from that or any other embassy. I thought that maybe AI has been generating generic letters. It was very strange. So, by the time I came to terms with the fact that this letter is genuine, my mind just went to my relationship with individual ambassadors, Consul-Generals and Cultural Attachés. As you know, it’s always been a courteous relationship,” Soyinka noted.
Soyinka said he had more important matters to attend to than pursuing visas for destinations where he did not feel welcome. “So the question of going to such an interview is totally out of consideration,” he maintained.
The Nobel Laureate criticised the Consulate’s choice of 9/11 for the exercise, saying it was inappropriate to use a day of national mourning for bureaucratic procedures.
“In addition, I happen to be a little bit superstitious of being given a significant date, not just for the United States but the rest of the world. I’m talking about 9/11. This is a day which I have always considered very critical for the United States especially. To me, 9/11 should be regarded as a day of national mourning, of atonement by the Consulate of the United States.
“They should close down offices on that day, not to keep inviting people to come and have their visas taken away. It should be a day of reflection, of serious, deep thinking in consideration of so many things. I think on that day, United States should shut down completely, universally. If they don’t shut down, at least I would shut down my relationship with them on that day. Because I’m very superstitious. I’m not going anywhere near there on 9/11. I will be airborne somewhere,” Soyinka maintained.
Turning directly to Trump, Soyinka said he would not walk into any embassy run by a government led by someone he likened to Idi Amin.
“Are we looking in the case of the United States, at the white Idi Amin, for instance? If you look very closely at the conduct, the behaviour, the mentality of the present incumbent president, you find out there are Idi Amins of different colours. And if Idi Amin says I should come to his embassy, I would think twice before going because I don’t know what is waiting for me on the other side of the door.
“So I’m afraid, I would have to, as the Americans say, take a rain check of this invitation and certainly I’m not going there on 9/11. No way. Maybe individuals, small, minuscule action like this, here and there, collectively, institutionally and so on may enable the American people embark on this process of deep introspection, which is really to review their position with the rest of the world and how the world looks at them especially at this critical period of world affairs.”
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