ABUJA, Oct 28 (The African Portal) – Nigerian Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, says the United States has revoked his visa, preventing him from travelling to the country.
Speaking at a media briefing at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park in Lagos on Tuesday, the 90-year-old playwright said he was unaware of any reason that could have led to the decision.
“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,” Soyinka said.
“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.”
The reason for the visa revocation remains unclear. Soyinka said he received a letter from the US Consulate in Lagos dated 23 October 2025, notifying him of the action.
The letter, according to him, read in part:
“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as official notification by the United States Consulate General in Lagos that the non-immigrant visa listed below has been revoked pursuant to the authority contained in U.S. Department of State regulations.”
The letter was issued by the Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) section of the Consulate.
Soyinka, who appeared visibly surprised, said he had no criminal record or past offence that could justify the decision.
“I’m still looking into my past history… I don’t have any past criminal record or even a misdemeanour to qualify for a revocation,” he said.
“Have I ever misbehaved toward the United States of America? Have I been convicted? Have I gone against the law anywhere?”
In September, PM News reported that Soyinka declined an invitation from the US Consulate for a visa re-interview scheduled for September 11. The Consulate had reportedly invited Nigerian holders of B1/B2 visas—issued for short-term business or tourism—to appear for reassessment.
At the time, Soyinka dismissed the invitation as suspicious, saying he initially thought the correspondence was a scam.
“At first, I thought it was advance-fee fraud because 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,” he told PM News.
“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.”
The US government has in recent times introduced tighter visa and immigration measures as part of efforts to manage migration into the country.
The Consulate in Lagos has not yet publicly commented on the reason behind the revocation of Professor Soyinka’s visa.
