At a packed Press Conference held at Lagos Island’s Freedom Park, celebrated Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka confirmed that his non-immigrant visa to the United States has been revoked, rendering him unable to travel to the U.S. unless new conditions apply.
In a cleared statement, Soyinka revealed he received an official letter dated 23 October 2025, from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, instructing him to submit his passport for cancellation of the visa, explaining that “additional information became available after the visa was issued.”
“I have no visa. I am banned, obviously, from the United States,” he told reporters, with trademark dry humour and defiance.
Soyinka, aged 91, said he holds no ill-will toward the American people, but sees the move as consistent with his long-standing criticisms of U.S. policy under Donald Trump. He joked that he regarded the letter from the Consulate as a “rather curious love-letter” from America.
The revocation follows a previous incident earlier in the year, when the U.S. Consulate in Lagos asked for his attendance at a visa interview he declined. Soyinka speculated his outspoken comparison of President Trump to Uganda’s Idi Amin may have triggered the retaliation, saying Trump “should be proud of the compliment.”
While making clear he is “not looking” to visit the United States at this time, Soyinka also used the conference to broaden his message: condemning aggressive immigration enforcement and calling attention to what he described as “old women, children being separated” in U.S. raids. He stressed: “This is not about me.”
The matter has drawn attention to broader changes in U.S. non-immigrant visa policy for Nigerians. In July, Washington announced that Nigerians would now receive only single-entry three-month visas, replacing the previous up to five-year, multiple-entry permits.
For now, Soyinka says, the invitation list for U.S. appearances can stay empty and any organisations hoping to bring him stateside “should not waste their time.”
