Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has revealed that his visa to the United States of America has been revoked by the U.S. authorities.
Soyinka made the revelation on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, during an interactive session with journalists at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island.
According to him, the U.S. Consulate in Lagos formally communicated the revocation in a letter dated October 23, 2025.
“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. And if you want to see me, you know where to find me”, Soyinka said.
The literary icon expressed shock at the development, saying he was unaware of any infraction that could have prompted the decision.
He, however, suggested that the move might not be unconnected to his long-standing criticism of former U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies.
Soyinka, who once held a U.S. green card, famously destroyed it in 2016 following Trump’s election victory. More recently, in September 2025, he declined an invitation from the U.S. Consulate for a visa re-interview, citing the symbolic significance of the proposed date, the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The Nobel Laureate said he decided to publicly address the issue to prevent confusion among his international hosts and audiences expecting his appearance at upcoming events in the United States.
