Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has disclosed that the United States, under former President Donald Trump, has revoked his visa a move he described as shocking and without justification.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island, Soyinka said he received a letter from the U.S. Consulate, dated October 23, 2025, notifying him of the revocation.

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

The renowned playwright expressed disbelief at the decision, stressing that he had no criminal or civil record to warrant such treatment.
“I’m still looking into my past history. I don’t have any past criminal record or even a misdemeanour to qualify for this revocation,” he said. “Have I ever misbehaved toward the United States of America? Have I gone against the law anywhere?”

Although the exact reason remains unclear, Soyinka suggested the revocation may be linked to his long-standing criticism of Donald Trump.

In 2016, he famously destroyed his U.S. Green Card following Trump’s election victory, vowing to stay away from the country in protest. However, after Trump’s conviction earlier this year on 34 counts of falsifying business records, Soyinka had hinted at reapplying for permanent residency, calling the conviction “daybreak on a new democratic promise.”

“For millions in anguished parts of the world, certainly for us in vast swathes of the African continent, this is daybreak on a new democratic promise,” he said at the time. “The warning is clear sooner or later, the clamour of equity breaks down the stoutest gates on guard across the citadel of impunity.”

Soyinka also disclosed that he declined an invitation from the U.S. Consulate for a visa re-interview in September 2025 because it coincided with the anniversary of the September 11 attacks a date he described as “symbolically inappropriate.”

His revelation has sparked mixed reactions across Nigeria, with many interpreting the revocation as politically motivated and rooted in lingering tensions over his outspoken criticism of Trump-era policies.