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| Wole Soyinka |
Published by Family Writers
Nigeria’s Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has denied reports that made the rounds on major newspapers and other social media in Nigeria that he will tear his United States of America Green Card if the Republican candidate, Donald Trump is declared winner.
In a historic presidential election, Trump was declared winner and US President-elect.
In a statement emailed to Daily Globe Watch in the French capital of Paris, Prof. Soyinka emphatically denied the statement.
“My attention has been drawn to a wide and highly publicized and reported matter that, I said, should Americans elect Donald Trump as in the just concluded election, I will tear my America Green card. This is to inform all that, I never said so or matter of such resemblance.’
“‘In fact, it’s an imagination of men who sees my continuous relevance as a threat to their ignoble and rebellious behavioral ineptitude. It is a salvage custom, barbaric, outdated, rejected, infamous and ignominious.
”Let me further note that the President-Elect was one of my colleague at the University of Michigan and other organizations where we both delivered papers. He is my friend and was very instrumental in the granting of my residential permit during the reign of General Sani Abacha, the greatest dictator of our time,” he said.
Prior to the election, Soyinka had been quoted as saying that if Trump is elected president of the United States, he will leave the country.
“If in the unlikely event he does win, the first thing he’ll do is to say [that] all green-card holders must reapply to come back into the US. Well, I’m not waiting for that,” said Soyinka, who is scholar-in-residence at New York University’s Institute of African American Affairs this autumn.
“The moment they announce his victory, I will cut my green card myself and start packing up.”
It remains unclear where the reported statement emanated from.
“My attention has been drawn to a wide and highly publicized and reported matter that, I said, should Americans elect Donald Trump as in the just concluded election, I will tear my America Green card. This is to inform all that, I never said so or matter of such resemblance.’
“‘In fact, it’s an imagination of men who sees my continuous relevance as a threat to their ignoble and rebellious behavioral ineptitude. It is a salvage custom, barbaric, outdated, rejected, infamous and ignominious.
”Let me further note that the President-Elect was one of my colleague at the University of Michigan and other organizations where we both delivered papers. He is my friend and was very instrumental in the granting of my residential permit during the reign of General Sani Abacha, the greatest dictator of our time,” he said.
Prior to the election, Soyinka had been quoted as saying that if Trump is elected president of the United States, he will leave the country.
“If in the unlikely event he does win, the first thing he’ll do is to say [that] all green-card holders must reapply to come back into the US. Well, I’m not waiting for that,” said Soyinka, who is scholar-in-residence at New York University’s Institute of African American Affairs this autumn.
“The moment they announce his victory, I will cut my green card myself and start packing up.”
It remains unclear where the reported statement emanated from.
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