Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has revealed that the United States has cancelled his visa, effectively barring him from entering the country.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery in Freedom Park, Lagos Island, Soyinka explained that he decided to go public so that organisers of events expecting his presence in the U.S. would not be left waiting in vain.
“I have no visa; I am obviously barred from the United States. So, if anyone needs to see me, you know where to find me,” he said.
Soyinka added that he had received no explanation for the move, saying he remained in the dark about what might have prompted the revocation.
In recent times, the US government has taken steps to curb the influx of migrants into the country.
According to Soyinka, the US Consulate informed him of the revocation in a letter dated October 23, 2025.
“This letter serves as official notification by the United States Consulate General in Lagos that the nonimmigrant visa listed below has been revoked pursuant to the authority contained in U.S. Department of State regulations,” part of the letter, shown to our correspondent by Soyinka, read.
The letter was issued by the NIV Section of the Consulate.
The Nobel Laureate expressed confusion over the development, saying, “I’m still looking into my past history… I don’t have any past criminal record or even a felony or misdemeanour to qualify for the revocation.
“I’ve started looking back—have I ever misbehaved toward the United States of America? Do I have a history? Have I been convicted? Have I gone against the law anywhere?”
PM News had earlier reported on September 10, 2025, that Soyinka said he would not honour an invitation by the US Consulate in Nigeria for a visa re-interview, which was scheduled for Thursday, September 11.
He made this known in an interview with the medium while reacting to the recent invitation sent by the American Consulate to Nigerians holding B1/B2 visas, asking them to appear for what it called a “visa interview.”
Soyinka’s visa is classified as B1/B2—a temporary, non-immigrant visa for travel to the United States for business (B-1) or tourism (B-2).
“I would like to begin by stressing the fact that, for me, this is not a personal issue. I have no idea how you got to know. By the way, I also received the letter, which at first I thought was fake. I thought it came from scammers who prey on those eager to get visas elsewhere, promising to deliver them for a certain amount. I thought they had simply picked my name among others, knowing there was a list of invitees.
“So, 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. It was very strange.
“So, 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,” Soyinka told PM News in September.
