Nobel Laureate and celebrated writer, Professor Wole Soyinka, has reacted to the United States’ decision to permanently revoke his visa, calling the move unnecessary and surprising.
Speaking during a press briefing at Freedom Park in Lagos on Tuesday, Soyinka explained that the revocation came after he declined to attend a visa revalidation interview requested by the U.S. Consulate.
The globally acclaimed author revealed that he had torn up his American green card shortly after Donald Trump became president, describing the act as a symbolic protest against what he considered divisive and discriminatory leadership.
Since then, he had relied on a B1/B2 visa for his travels to the United States.
On October 23, 2025, Soyinka received a letter from the U.S. Consulate asking him to appear in person so that his visa could be officially marked “cancelled permanently.”
However, he refused to comply, saying: “If they wish to cancel it, that is their business. I will not go there to help them do it.”
Still Open to American Visitors
Despite the visa revocation, Soyinka maintained that the decision would not affect his hospitality toward Americans.
“I will continue to welcome any American to my home if they have anything legitimate to do with me,” he said.
Recalling Past U.S. Incidents
The Nobel Laureate also reflected on two minor past encounters with U.S. authorities, clarifying that neither involved criminal conduct.
The first, he recounted, occurred many years ago when he brought some spicy chilli peppers from London into the U.S. but forgot to declare them at the airport. He was fined $25 for the oversight.
“The officials were just doing their job,” Soyinka said, laughing. “It was a harmless mistake; I simply forgot to declare the chilli I had carried from London.”
The second incident took place in the 1970s at Chicago Airport, where Soyinka confronted an immigration officer over a racist remark. The confrontation attracted police attention but was peacefully resolved after the intervention of Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who was then Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
“I do not think those two incidents are enough to classify me as having a criminal record in the United States. They were simply misunderstandings that could happen to anyone,” he explained.
Reflecting on U.S. Relations
Soyinka emphasized that apart from these isolated episodes, he had enjoyed cordial relations with the U.S. for decades relations only strained during the Trump administration.
He ended by urging people everywhere to resist injustice and discrimination, warning about the dangers of complacency:
“Silence in the face of prejudice is as dangerous as the act itself.”