Nobel Prize winner and world-renowned author Professor Wole Soyinka has revealed that his US visa was recently permanently revoked by the US authorities.
The literary icon explained during a media briefing at Freedom Park, Lagos on Tuesday that the decision came after he refused to participate in a re-interview requested by the US Consulate..
Soyinka revealed that he tore up his US green card shortly after former President Donald Trump took office, saying it was a personal protest against what he saw as divisive and discriminatory leadership.
Thereafter, he traveled to the United States on a B1/B2 visa.
According to him, the consulate later invited him for a visa revalidation interview, but he ignored it.
Then, on October 23, 2025, he received another letter asking him to go to the consulate so that his visa could be officially stamped “permanently cancelled.”
However, the professor said he would not accept the invitation and insisted such a visit was unnecessary.
“If they want to cancel, that’s their business,” Soyinka said. “I’m not going to go out there and help them do that.”
Despite the revocation, he noted that he would not respond to the action.
“I will continue to welcome any American into my home if they have any legal relationship with me,” he confirmed.
Soyinka also used the opportunity to recount two previous experiences he had with U.S. authorities, both of which he described as minor, misunderstood incidents that did not amount to criminal activity.
He said the first incident occurred many years ago at a U.S. airport.
Soyinka, who flew in from the UK in the winter, decided to eat some chili peppers to keep warm. He also put some in his pocket before boarding the plane.
Upon arrival in the United States, airport officials discovered the pepper during a routine search and were fined $25 for failing to declare the produce imported.
“The officials were just doing their jobs,” he said with a laugh. “It was a harmless mistake, I just forgot to declare the chillies I brought from London.”
The second incident occurred at a Chicago airport in the 1970s, when Soyinka said he challenged an immigration official who made racist remarks. The conflict attracted attention and police were called.
It took the intervention of the late Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who later served as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, to calm the situation and prevent it from escalating.
Looking back on the two experiences, Soyinka said: “I don’t think these two incidents were enough to classify me as having a criminal record in the United States. They were just misunderstandings and could happen to anyone.”
The Nobel laureate added that aside from those moments, he had maintained cordial relations with the United States for years until the political climate changed under the Trump administration.
He concluded by urging people to always fight against discrimination and injustice around the world.
“Silent silence in the face of bigotry,” Soyinka said, “is as dangerous as the act itself.”
