Green Card: Here’s how Soyinka could redeem himself

Let me start with a confession: no matter what Wole Soyinka does, some of us will still cherish him because of his intellect and what he did for democracy during the military era.

It is no longer news that the Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, promised some students at Oxford that he would destroy his US Green Card if Donald Trump won the presidency. He also said he would leave America.

There is no doubt that Soyinka knows that government-mandated ID cards are actually government property — It can be revoked. His Green Card is technically not his property. But his statement was actual a protest to a Trump’s administration.

But Soyinka risks losing his reputation if he doesn’t do something urgently. In fact, his brand is presently being threatened.  So, he needs to consult his US lawyers as soon as possible.

It is very likely that if he goes ahead to make good on his threat – maybe some time around when Trump is sworn in – it might not change anything. And this might be the old professor’s saving grace. He needs to double check with his lawyers.

It will also not earn him any jail term, as speculated by Nigerian lawyers.

Why? If the US Supreme Court ruled that it isn’t illegal for citizens to burn the flag in protest, then why would destroying one’s residency documents be a crime?

And this is what could be Soyinka’s defense:  If the US Supreme Court says that burning the flag is an example of constitutional protected free speech, then why can’t the destruction of his documents not be protected by the constitutional provisions of free speech.

Some American students are currently exercising this right to speech: they are burning the US flag as a protest over Trump’s victory.

Besides, while a permanent residency status in the US is permanent, your Green Card is not. Green Cards are renewed regularly, mostly every ten years. Thus, destruction or misplacement of a Green Card doesn’t necessarily make one lose his or her permanent residency.

Soyinka has a Green Card because he has a teaching and research job in the States. He could argue that he decided not to destroy this document because of the love he has for his students in America. However, this argument might make him a laughing stock.

More interestingly, he could force the US Supreme Court to make a pronouncement on the destruction of such documents in protest. And should he destroy his Green Card and attempt to renew it, it will be a legal tussle if it isn’t renewed.

But he has no reason to destroy this document, which I believe he cherishes. He has already made his point. He doesn’t like Trump, but Americans have spoken.

Same goes for all the folks still protesting Trumps victory. There is no need to cry over spilt milk. Someone has to win in an election.

Trump could turn out to be the best American president in recent times. After all, some Nigerians, including CAN’s president, have started seeing the hand of God in Trump’s victory. Interesting, isn’t it. Success, they say, could really have many friends!