US Revokes Wole Soyinka’s Visa, Nobel Laureate Expresses Surprise

Soyinka Says U.S. Revoked His Visa Over Criticism of Trump
By Channels Television | Updated October 28, 2025

Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has revealed that his United States visa has been revoked, a move he believes is connected to his outspoken criticism of former U.S. President Donald Trump and his policies.

Speaking at a press conference held on Tuesday at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island, Soyinka disclosed that the U.S. Consulate notified him of the visa revocation in a letter dated October 23, 2025.

“It is necessary for me to hold this conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for one event or another do not waste their time,” he said. “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.”

The literary icon expressed both surprise and confusion over the decision, noting that he was unaware of any action on his part that might have warranted the move.

Soyinka suggested that the revocation may be politically motivated, referencing his past criticisms of Trump. He had famously torn up his U.S. green card in protest following Trump’s 2016 election victory.

In September 2025, Soyinka also declined an invitation from the U.S. Consulate for a visa re-interview, describing the chosen date as “symbolically insensitive” since it coincided with the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.