In a shocking diplomatic twist that has stirred global attention, the United States government under President Donald J. Trump has revoked the visa of Nigeria’s Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, effectively banning the revered literary giant from entering the U.S.
The development, which Soyinka himself confirmed during a press briefing at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island, has sent ripples across the intellectual and diplomatic circles. Holding up a letter dated October 23, 2025, the 89-year-old writer said the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos directed him to submit his passport for “physical cancellation” of his non-immigrant visa.
The letter, signed by an American consular officer, vaguely cited that “additional information became available after the visa was issued,” a clause that Soyinka described as both “curious and unnecessary.” He noted that he had never been convicted of any crime nor engaged in activities that would warrant such an action.
“I have no visa. I am banned, obviously, from the United States. I was not expecting it, but I am not particularly bothered either,” Soyinka said, smiling faintly as he addressed the press.
A Legacy of Outspokenness
This is not the first time the Nobel Laureate has found himself on a collision course with Washington. In 2016, following Donald Trump’s electoral victory, Soyinka publicly announced that he had torn up his U.S. green card, describing Trump as “an embarrassment to democracy and an echo of Idi Amin.”
Insiders believe the latest development might not be unconnected to that symbolic protest. Soyinka, who has long divided his time between Nigeria and academic circles in the United States, has been one of the fiercest African critics of America’s foreign and immigration policies.
U.S. Embassy Keeps Mum
Efforts to get a reaction from the U.S. Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate in Lagos proved futile, as neither office has issued a formal statement on the revocation. A Reuters correspondent confirmed that embassy officials “did not immediately respond to requests for comment.”
However, sources within the diplomatic community hint that the decision may fall under the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (22 CFR § 41.122), which grants consular officers the discretionary power to revoke visas “at any time if additional information becomes available.”
The U.S. State Department has not clarified what this “additional information” entails in Soyinka’s case.
Nigeria Reacts
The move has drawn widespread criticism within Nigeria. Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore condemned the ban, calling it “a sad reflection on what America has become under Trump.” He urged African leaders and intellectuals to “stand in solidarity with Soyinka, who has spent decades championing global justice and freedom of thought.”
Diplomatic observers note that the revocation comes barely three months after the U.S. Mission to Nigeria reduced the validity period of non-immigrant visas from five-year multiple entry to three-month single entry, a move seen by analysts as part of President Trump’s hardline immigration policy.
“I’m Content,” Says Soyinka
Despite the uproar, Soyinka appeared unfazed. “I want to assure the consulate that I am very content with this revocation,” he said with trademark irony. “It saves me the trouble of sitting through airport interrogations about why I think Trump should read more books.”
For now, Soyinka has advised international event organisers and universities not to expect his presence in the United States. “At my age, I no longer take initiatives that lead nowhere,” he said.
A Symbolic Clash
Analysts view the episode as a symbolic clash between truth and power, a continuation of Soyinka’s lifelong struggle against tyranny, whether military, political, or ideological. From confronting Nigerian dictators in the 1960s to challenging global powers in his later years, Soyinka’s voice has remained defiantly independent.
The U.S. ban, many argue, might only immortalize him further — as the African sage who once tore up his green card in protest and now stands blacklisted by the most powerful nation in the world.
“When a government fears a poet,” remarked one attendee at the Lagos briefing, “it means the pen still terrifies the sword.”
As of press time, no new statement has been released by the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Embassy in Abuja. The world now watches as a literary legend stands barred by a nation he once called his “second home,” proving once again that words — when wielded by conscience — remain the most dangerous weapon of all.