U.S. Revokes Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka’s Visa

Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has revealed that the United States of America has revoked his visa, preventing him from entering the country. Soyinka made this known during a media briefing at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island, on Tuesday.

“It is necessary for me to hold this conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for this event or that event do not waste their time. 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.

The reason behind the visa revocation remains unclear, as Soyinka said he was unaware of any wrongdoing that could have prompted such action. According to him, the U.S. Consulate informed him of the decision in a letter dated October 23, 2025.

“This letter serves as official notification by the United States Consulate General in Lagos that the nonimmigrant visa listed below has been revoked pursuant to the authority contained in U.S. Department of State regulations,” part of the letter, issued by the NIV Section of the Consulate, read.

Expressing surprise, Soyinka added, “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?”

In a previous interview with PM News on September 10, 2025, Soyinka had said he would not honour an invitation from the U.S. Consulate in Nigeria for a visa re-interview. He revealed that the letter initially appeared suspicious to him, as he thought it was a scam or AI-generated message.

“I thought it came from scammers who prey on those eager to get visas elsewhere, promising to deliver them for a certain amount. I thought they had simply picked my name among others… So, by the time I came to terms with the fact that the letter was genuine, my mind went to my relationship with individual ambassadors, Consuls General, and Cultural Attachés. As you know, it has always been a courteous relationship,” he said.

Soyinka’s revoked visa was a B1/B2 type, a temporary, non-immigrant visa for business or tourism. The U.S. government has recently intensified measures to manage migration and strengthen visa regulations.