Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has announced that the United States of America has revoked his non-immigrant visa, immediately making his entry into the country impossible.
Professor Soyinka made the disclosure during a media parley themed ‘Unending Saga: Idi Amin in Whiteface!’ held at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island.
He noted that the development seemed like being witch-hunted due to his long-standing opposition to the policies of US President Donald Trump.
The renowned author, poet, and playwright confirmed that his B1/B2 visa, a temporary, non-immigrant visa for business or tourism, had been revoked.
“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,” he told journalists.
Visa Revocation Details
Soyinka read the official notification, stating he received the letter last Thursday, October 23, 2025. The letter, issued by the NIV Section of the US Consulate General in Lagos, was dated October 23, 2025.
Part of the letter shown to the press read: “This letter serves as official notification by the United States Consulate General in Lagos that the non-immigrant visa listed below has been revoked pursuant to the authority contained in US Department of State regulations… Additional information became available after the visa below was issued.”
The letter listed the revoked visa details as:
Name of visa holder: SOYINKA, WOLE
Date and place of birth: 13-JUL-1934, NIGERIA
Visa classification (symbol): B1/B2
Date and place of visa issuance: 02-APR-2024, Lagos
Confusion and Stance on the Issue
Soyinka expressed confusion over the reason for the revocation, stating he was unaware of any wrongdoing that could have warranted the ban.
“I’m still looking into my past history… I don’t have any past criminal record or even a felony or misdemeanour to qualify for the revocation. I’ve started looking back — have I ever misbehaved toward the United States of America? Do I have a history? Have I been convicted? Have I gone against the law anywhere?” he queried.
He stressed that there were no hard feelings as a result of the development and that he held no issues with the American people or the nation.
“I will continue to welcome any American to my home if they have anything legitimate to do with me,” Soyinka affirmed, adding that, as a global citizen, he would continue to speak against racism and policies he believed were wrong, including those of Donald Trump.
The Nobel laureate noted that the media parley was necessary so that people in the United States who were expecting him for events would “not waste their time.”
Background: Prior Visa Interview Invitation
The permanent revocation follows an earlier incident on September 10, 2025, where Professor Soyinka publicly refused to honour an invitation by the US Consulate in Nigeria for a visa re-interview, which was scheduled for Thursday, September 11, 2025.
The invitation was part of a recent notice sent by the American Consulate to many Nigerians holding B1/B2 visas, asking them to appear for a “visa interview”.
Reacting to the re-interview invitation in September, Soyinka initially thought the letter was fake and a fraudulent move by scammers.
“I would like to begin by stressing the fact that, for me, this is not a personal issue… I thought it came from scammers who prey on those eager to get visas elsewhere, promising to deliver them for a certain amount…”
“I had never received that kind of letter from that or any other embassy. I even thought that maybe AI had been generating generic letters. It was very strange,” he said at the time.
Upon realising the letter was genuine, he maintained that he had more important things to do than chase visas for places he did not want to go to.
“So the question of going to such an interview is totally out of consideration,” he maintained.
He specifically expressed disapproval of the consulate choosing 9/11 for the proposed interview—a day he considers critical for the United States—suggesting it should be regarded as a day of national mourning, for deep, sober reflection, and not for the “perpetuation of ignoble motives.”
Soyinka also expressed wariness of accepting invitations from a government that has a “white Idi Amin” at the helm of affairs, an apparent reference to President Trump.
It may be recalled that in December 2016, the acclaimed playwright tore his Green Card after Donald Trump’s electoral triumph for his first term in office, following a pledge he had made to do so if Trump won.
