THE United States government has revoked the visa of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, a professor.
The renowned writer disclosed this on Tuesday, October 28, during a briefing at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery inside Freedom Park, Lagos Island, where he explained that he had been notified of the visa cancellation by the US Consulate.
“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,” he was quoted to have said.
The nonagenarian said he was unaware of any offence or misconduct that could have led to the action.
“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? he queried.
This incident comes amid a broader shift in US. immigration policy under the Trump administration. In June 2025, Trump issued a sweeping travel ban that suspended visa issuance and legal entry from 12 primarily African and Middle Eastern countries, while placing heightened restrictions on seven others.
While Nigeria is not among the affected countries, the administration also expanded a “Catch-and-Revoke” programme targeting thousands of student and researcher visas, citing national security concerns and social-media activity as grounds.
The travel ban originated from an executive order signed by Trump on January 20, directing the Departments of State and Homeland Security, along with the Director of National Intelligence, to prepare a report identifying countries or groups displaying “hostile attitudes” toward the United States.
In September, Soyinka reportedly told TheNEWS that he would not honour an invitation from the US Consulate in Nigeria to appear for a visa re-interview scheduled for Thursday, September 11.
The Nobel laureate was reacting to recent notices sent by the US Consulate to holders of B1/B2 visas, directing them to appear for what it described as a “re-interview exercise.”
Soyinka, who was among those invited, expressed surprise at the development, describing the letter as “strange and bizarre.” He said he initially dismissed it as a possible scam by fraudsters or an AI-generated fake document designed to deceive unsuspecting Nigerians.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M