Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has disclosed that the United States government has revoked his American visa.
Soyinka made this revelation during a media parley in Lagos on Tuesday, stating that he received the revocation letter from the U.S. Consulate on Thursday, October 23, 2025.
Reading the letter aloud at the event themed “Unending Saga: Idi Amin In Whiteface!” held at Freedom Park, Lagos, Soyinka suggested that the action might be connected to his consistent criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies.
The letter from the U.S. Consulate, which he read publicly, partly stated, “Dear Mr Soyinka, this letter serves as official notification of the United States Consulate that the non-immigrant visa listed below has been revoked in pursuant to the Department of State Regulations 22 CFR 41.122 and is no longer valid for application into the United States. Additional information became available after the visa below was issued.
“This revocation refers only to the visa listed below.
“Name of visa holder: SOYINKA, WOLE Date and place of birth: 13-JUL-1934, NIGERIA. Visa classification(symbol): B1/B2 Date and place of visa issuance: 02-APR-2024, Lagos.”
The playwright, who resides in Nigeria, said he held no resentment over the issue. “I will continue to welcome any American to my home if they have anything legitimate to do with me,” he stated.
The Nobel laureate emphasized that his criticism of world leaders, including Donald Trump, stems from his commitment as a global citizen to confront racism, injustice, and bad governance.
In December 2016, shortly after Trump’s election victory, Soyinka made headlines when he publicly tore up his U.S. Green Card in protest, symbolizing his disapproval of the incoming administration.
