Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka announced that the U.S. government revoked his non-immigrant visa, citing unspecified “additional information” that emerged after it was issued.
The 91-year-old writer believes the move may be linked to his recent public criticism of Donald Trump, whom he compared to Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
Soyinka said he will not reapply for a visa, framing the issue as a matter of principle and human dignity, while the U.S. Embassy declined to comment, citing visa confidentiality rules.
Nigerian author and Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka has revealed that the United States has revoked his non-immigrant visa, a move he believes is linked to his recent public criticisms of US President Donald Trump. At age 91, Soyinka — the first African to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 — said a letter dated October 23 sent by the U.S. Consulate in Lagos instructed him to bring in his passport so his visa could be cancelled, citing “additional information” that emerged after the visa was issued.
Soyinka, known for his outspoken views, speculated that the cancellation may stem from his recent remarks comparing Trump to Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. He remarked the notice was a “rather curious love letter,” and asserted that while the revocation did not personally bother him, it raised broader issues of dignity and human rights. “I have no visa. I am banned, obviously, from the United States,” he told reporters.
Despite the revocation, Soyinka said he has no plans to re-apply for a U.S. visa and emphasized that his focus remains on the principle rather than the personal impact. As per CNN, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria declined to comment on the specific case, citing confidentiality around visa records, and reaffirmed that visas are a privilege and may be revoked at any time at the government’s discretion.
