US Revokes Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka's B1/B2 Visa

Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka announced on Tuesday that the United States has revoked his nonimmigrant B1/B2 visa, after receiving an official letter from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos dated October 23. Soyinka made the disclosure at a media briefing at Kongis Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park on Lagos Island, and said the revocation immediately prevents him from entering the United States.

Soyinka read parts of the consulate letter to reporters, which cited U.S. Department of State regulations that allow a nonimmigrant visa to be revoked at any time after issuance when additional information becomes available. The letter listed his name, birth date and the visa classification, and noted the visa had been issued in Lagos on April 2, 2024. "I have no visa. I am banned, obviously, from the United States," Soyinka told journalists. He said he received the notification last Thursday and that he was unaware of any criminal conviction or other wrongdoing that could explain the decision. "I'm still looking into my past history. I don't have any past criminal record or even a felony or misdemeanor to qualify for the revocation," he said.

Soyinka said he had earlier declined a...