Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has revealed that the United States government under President Donald Trump has revoked his visa, effectively barring him from entering the country.
The 91-year-old author said he received a letter from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos on October 23, notifying him that his visa had been cancelled due to “additional information” obtained after it was issued.
According to Soyinka, the visa in question was a B1/B2 type, issued in April 2024, and the cancellation letter requested that he return his passport for physical revocation. “This letter serves as official notification that the non-immigrant visa has been revoked. Additional information became available after the visa was issued,” the letter reportedly stated. Soyinka said the move came as a shock since he had no criminal history or pending investigations that could justify such an action.
Speaking to journalists, the renowned playwright said he was unaware of any wrongdoing that could have led to the decision. “I’m still looking into my past history. I don’t have any past criminal record or even a misdemeanor to qualify for this revocation,” he explained. “I have no visa; I am banned obviously from the United States. And if you want to see me, you know where to find me,” Soyinka added with a wry smile.
Soyinka further disclosed that the consulate had earlier invited him for a visa revalidation interview in September, a process he considered “strange and unnecessary.” He chose not to attend, suspecting political undertones in the move. The author also linked the latest development to his public criticism of President Trump, whom he once referred to as “a white Idi Amin in whiteface,” during a heated exchange over U.S. policies.
It will be recalled that Soyinka, a Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 1986, had renounced his U.S. green card in 2016 in protest over Trump’s earlier election victory. Since then, he has frequently spoken against the U.S. president’s leadership style and policies. Soyinka has also served as a visiting professor at several American Ivy League universities for decades, making the visa cancellation a significant disruption to his international engagements.
As of now, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has not issued any official statement regarding the reason behind the visa withdrawal. The development comes amid recent policy shifts that reduced the validity of non-immigrant visas for Nigerians from five-year multiple entries to single-entry three-month permits, further fueling debate on Washington’s stance toward Nigeria.
