Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has revealed that the United States government has revoked his visa, preventing him from entering the country.
Speaking during a media parley at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island, on Tuesday, Soyinka expressed surprise at the decision, saying he was unaware of any reason that could have led to the action.
“It’s necessary for me to hold this conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for one event or another don’t waste their time,” he 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 revocation remains unclear, and Soyinka said he was still trying to understand what might have prompted it. He noted that the U.S. Consulate in Lagos informed him of the decision in a letter dated October 23, 2025, which stated that his nonimmigrant visa had been revoked under U.S. Department of State regulations.
“I’m still looking into my past history,” the 89-year-old writer said. “I don’t have any criminal record, felony, or misdemeanour that could justify the revocation. I’ve started asking myself—have I ever misbehaved toward the United States? Have I been convicted? Have I gone against any law anywhere?”
The letter, issued by the Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) Section, formally notified him of the revocation, though it offered no further explanation.
Soyinka’s visa, classified as B1/B2, is typically granted for temporary business or tourism travel.
This development comes weeks after PM News reported that Soyinka declined to attend a U.S. Consulate invitation for a visa re-interview scheduled for September 11, 2025. At the time, he dismissed the notice as suspicious and initially thought it was a scam attempt.
“I first thought the letter was fake — maybe advance-fee fraud,” Soyinka said in the earlier interview. “It seemed so strange. I even wondered if it was AI-generated. But when I confirmed it was genuine, I reflected on my long-standing, respectful relationships with past U.S. ambassadors and cultural attachés. It was all very unusual.”
The U.S. government has recently intensified efforts to tighten entry requirements and reduce visa overstays, though it remains unclear whether this broader policy shift played a role in Soyinka’s case.
