The United States government under President Donald Trump has revoked the visa of globally renowned Nigerian scholar and Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

According to reports, the U.S. Consulate in Lagos officially notified the literary icon through a letter dated October 23, 2025, stating that his B1/B2 visa had been cancelled under the authority of the Department of State.

Professor Soyinka disclosed the development during a media briefing at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos, where he expressed surprise over the decision, stating that he had not violated any immigration or diplomatic laws that could warrant such an action.

“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,” Soyinka said.

The development has sparked widespread reactions in both Nigeria and international circles, with many describing the move as politically motivated, given Soyinka’s past criticisms of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

It will be recalled that Professor Soyinka, shortly after Donald Trump’s election victory in 2016, publicly declared that he would tear up his U.S. green card as a form of protest against what he described as Trump’s divisive politics.

Officials from the U.S. Embassy are yet to issue an official statement regarding the revocation, citing confidentiality rules surrounding visa matters.

Professor Wole Soyinka remains one of Africa’s most respected voices in literature, human rights, and social justice, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986.