In a surprising move, the United States has revoked the visa of renowned Nigerian writer and Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, effectively barring him from entering the country.
Soyinka made the announcement during a press briefing at his Kongi’s Harvest Gallery in Lagos on Tuesday, expressing both confusion and frustration over the decision. He revealed that the U.S. Consulate in Lagos notified him of the revocation in an official letter dated October 23, 2025.
“I have no visa; I am banned, obviously, from the United States,” Soyinka told journalists. “And if you want to see me, you know where to find me.”
The 90-year-old playwright and political activist stated he was completely in the dark regarding the reason for the revocation. He insisted he was unaware of any wrongdoing that could have prompted the action.
“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,” Soyinka said, pondering aloud. “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?”
This development comes just weeks after Soyinka publicly declined an invitation from the U.S. Consulate for a visa re-interview in September. At the time, he had questioned the authenticity of the invitation letter, suspecting it might be an advanced-fee scam, before concluding it was genuine.
His visa, classified as a B1/B2 for business and tourism, has now been formally revoked. The letter from the Consulate’s NIV Section, which Soyinka showed to reporters, cited the authority of U.S. Department of State regulations but did not specify the grounds for the decision.
The visa revocation against such a prominent global figure raises immediate questions, as the U.S. government has recently intensified efforts to curb migration. Soyinka, a lifelong critic of authoritarianism and injustice, has often used his platform to speak on global political issues.
The Nobel laureate concluded his announcement by stating his intention to carry on with his scheduled engagements outside the U.S., framing the incident as an unexplained obstacle rather than a personal defeat.