LAGOS, NIGERIA – Nigerian Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has had his U.S. visa revoked, effectively barring him from entering the United States. The U.S. Consulate in Lagos cited “additional information” that became available after the visa was issued as the reason for the revocation.
Soyinka, 91, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, confirmed the development at a press conference in Lagos, where he showed reporters a letter from the U.S. Consulate General requesting him to bring his passport for physical cancellation of the visa.
The author and playwright believes the revocation may be linked to his recent comments comparing former U.S. President Donald Trump to Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, describing Trump as the “white version of Idi Amin”. Soyinka has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s policies, particularly his stance on immigration.
Soyinka had previously renounced his U.S. green card in 2016 in protest of Trump’s election. He joked about the incident, saying his green card “had an accident” and “fell between a pair of scissors”.
The U.S. Consulate had invited Soyinka for a reinterview scheduled on September 11, 2025, which he declined, criticizing the timing and purpose of the meeting. Soyinka described the request as “strange and bizarre”, questioning why the consulate would choose a day of national mourning in the U.S. to conduct visa business.
In response to the visa revocation, Soyinka stated, “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 expressed no intention of reapplying for a U.S. visa, emphasizing his commitment to human rights and free discourse.
The revocation of Soyinka’s visa comes amidst a broader tightening of consular practices for Nigerians, with the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria limiting non-immigrant visas to single-entry, three-month permits.