By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
The United States government under President Donald Trump has revoked the visa of Nigeria’s Nobel laureate and globally acclaimed writer, Professor Wole Soyinka.
Soyinka disclosed this on Tuesday during a media briefing held at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island.
The renowned playwright said he was unaware of any wrongdoing that might have led to the U.S. government’s decision. He explained that the announcement became necessary so that people in the United States expecting him for upcoming engagements would not be inconvenienced. “It is necessary for me to hold this conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for one event or another do not waste their time. 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,” he said.
According to him, the U.S. Consulate informed him of the revocation through a formal letter. He added that he was still trying to understand the reason behind the decision, insisting that he had no criminal or misconduct history. “I’m still looking into my past history… I don’t have any criminal record or even a misdemeanor that could justify the revocation. I’ve been asking myself: Have I ever misbehaved toward the United States of America? Do I have a history? Have I been convicted? Have I gone against the law anywhere?” he asked.
The development comes as a surprise to many observers, given Soyinka’s long-standing relationship with the U.S., where he has held several academic fellowships and participated in international engagements.
Neither the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria nor the State Department had issued an official statement on the matter.
Heritage Times HT recalls that in 2016, Soyinka said he would tear up his U.S. green card if Trump won the 2016 presidential election. Speaking at Oxford University, the playwright warned that Trump’s victory could bring anti-immigrant policies. “If in the unlikely event he does win, the first thing he’ll do is to say [that] all green-card holders must reapply to come back into the US. Well, I’m not waiting for that. The moment they announce his victory, I will cut my green card myself and start packing up,” he said.
