Nobel laureate and renowned playwright Professor Wole Soyinka has disclosed that the United States government has permanently revoked his visa.
Speaking during a media parley at Freedom Park, Lagos, on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, Soyinka said he received an official letter from the U.S. Consulate, dated October 23, 2025, informing him that his B1/B2 visa had been withdrawn under U.S. Department of State regulations.
According to him, the letter stated that the visa was revoked because “additional information became available” after it had been issued. The 89-year-old scholar, however, expressed surprise at the decision, noting that he was unaware of any wrongdoing.
“I am still reviewing my past history. I have no criminal record, felony, or misdemeanour that would justify this revocation,”
Soyinka said, adding that he initially dismissed the letter as a scam until he verified its authenticity.
Soyinka linked the action to his long-standing criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, recalling his symbolic act of tearing up his American Green Card in 2016 as a protest against what he described as rising racism and divisive politics.
The playwright further revealed that the U.S. Consulate had earlier invited him for a visa revalidation interview, which he declined, believing it unnecessary. He suggested that his refusal might have influenced the final decision to revoke his visa.
Despite the development, Soyinka said he harbours no resentment toward the U.S. government and remains open to hosting Americans in Nigeria.
“I will continue to welcome any American to my home if they have anything legitimate to do with me,”
he said.
Reflecting on his past interactions with U.S. authorities, Soyinka mentioned being fined for carrying chilli peppers into the country and a minor confrontation at Chicago Airport in the 1970s.
“I do not think those two incidents are enough to classify me as having a criminal record in the United States,”
he remarked.
Soyinka concluded by affirming that the incident would not deter him from speaking against injustice or voicing his convictions.
“Silence in the face of prejudice is as dangerous as the act itself,”
he declared.
