Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has announced that his visa to the United States has been revoked.
Speaking to journalists at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery in Lagos Island on Tuesday, Prof. Soyinka said he received a letter from the U.S. consulate dated October 23, 2025, informing him of the revocation.
“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,” he said.
The nobel laureate expressed surprise and confusion over the decision, stating he was unaware of any wrongdoing.
He suggested the action may be linked to his criticism of US President Donald Trump and his policies.
Soyinka had previously torn up his U.S. green card in protest following Trump’s 2016 election victory and declined a U.S. consulate invitation for a visa re-interview in September 2025, citing the historical significance of the date, the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
