The Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian author Wole Soyinka said Tuesday that the visa allowing him to visit the United States was revoked this month. In a letter, the U.S. consulate general in Lagos, Nigeria, did not cite a specific reason for the revocation, saying only that “additional information became available” after the visa was issued last spring.
Soyinka, 91, said in a news conference on Tuesday that he had been instructed to appear at the consulate for an additional interview last month on Sept. 11. He refused to attend.
Soyinka, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, has been a vocal critic of President Trump. After the 2016 election, he cut up his U.S. green card in protest. In a September interview with Nigerian news outlet PM News, he compared the president to Idi Amin, who ruled Uganda in a brutal dictatorship in the 1970s.
“It’s not about me, I’m not really interested in going back to the United States,” Soyinka said on Tuesday. “But a principle is involved. Human beings deserve to be treated decently wherever they are.”
The letter, dated Oct. 23 and provided to The Times by Soyinka’s literary agent, said that if Soyinka had plans to travel to the United States, he must apply for a new visa. The revoked visa was granted in April 2024, under the Biden administration. This summer, the State Department restricted the length of new visas for Nigerian citizens. .
In an email, a State Department spokesperson declined to discuss the details of Soyinka’s case and said visa records are generally confidential. “Visas are a privilege, not a right,” the email said. “Visas may be revoked at any time, at the discretion of the U.S. government, whenever circumstances warrant.”
Stephen Yale-Loehr, a retired Cornell University professor of immigration law, said the move to revoke Soyinka’s visa appeared to be unrelated to the recent policy changes. While Soyinka’s criticism of President Trump could have made him a target, Yale-Loehr said, not showing up to an interview could have also provided the State Department with a procedural reason to revoke his visa.
Soyinka did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Nelson CJ contributed reporting.
Elizabeth A. Harris covers books and the publishing industry, reporting on industry news and examining the broader cultural impact of books. She is also an author.
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