Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian author Wole Soyinka has revealed that the United States has revoked his non-immigrant visa, which was issued last year, and informed him that he would need to reapply if he wishes to visit the country again.
The 91-year-old writer, who renounced his U.S. green card in 2016 in protest of President Donald Trump’s election, has maintained a long-standing relationship with American academia, regularly teaching at Ivy League universities since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986.
Soyinka showed reporters a letter from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, dated October 23, requesting him to submit his passport for the physical cancellation of the visa. The letter cited that “additional information became available” after the visa was issued.
“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 told reporters, addressing those who had planned to invite him to U.S. events.
The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In July, the Embassy announced that Nigerians applying for non-immigrant visas would now receive single-entry three-month permits, replacing the previous multi-year, multiple-entry visas.
