Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has expressed surprise over the revocation of his United States visa, following an official communication from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos notifying him of the decision.
Soyinka, who spoke during a media parley held at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island, on Tuesday, said he was unaware of any wrongdoing that could have warranted such an action by the US authorities.
“It is necessary for me to hold this conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for this event or that event 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 told journalists.
According to the Nobel laureate, he received an official letter from the United States Consulate General confirming that his nonimmigrant visa had been revoked.
“This letter serves as official notification by the United States Consulate General in Lagos that the nonimmigrant visa listed below has been revoked pursuant to the authority contained in U.S. Department of State regulations,” part of the letter sent to Soyinka by the U.S. embassy and cited by PUNCH read.
The letter, issued by the NIV Section of the Consulate, did not state the reason for the revocation, leaving Soyinka puzzled.
The Nobel laureate voiced his surprise over the decision, stating, “I’m still looking into my past history… I don’t have any past criminal record or even a felony or misdemeanour to qualify for the revocation.
“I’ve started looking back — 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?”
Soyinka noted that the situation was particularly baffling because he has maintained cordial relations with U.S. officials in the past and has frequently participated in international engagements hosted in the country.
Earlier in September, Soyinka had declined an invitation from the United States Consulate in Nigeria to appear for a visa reinterview, which was scheduled for Thursday, September 11.
The playwright, in an interview with TheNEWS, described the Consulate’s notice as “strange and bizarre,” revealing that he initially dismissed it as a possible scam or an AI-generated fake document.
He said, “I would like to begin by stressing the fact that, for me, this is not a personal issue. I have no idea how you got to know. By the way, I also have received the letter, which at first I thought was a fake. I thought it was these scammers who sort of prey on those eager to get visas elsewhere, with the promise to deliver visas for a certain amount guaranteed.”
“So, at the beginning, I thought it was advance fee fraud because I had never received that kind of letter from that or any other embassy. I thought that maybe AI has been generating generic letters. It was very strange.”
Soyinka added that the eventual realisation that the communication was genuine left him questioning what could have led to such an unprecedented action against him.
“So, by the time I came to terms with the fact that this letter is genuine, my mind just went to my relationship with individual ambassadors, Consul-Generals and Cultural Attachés. As you know, it’s always been a courteous relationship.”
He maintained that he had more pressing priorities than pursuing visas to destinations he neither desires to visit nor feels welcomed in.
“So the question of going to such an interview is totally out of consideration,” he said.
The Nobel laureate also took issue with the choice of September 11 as the date fixed for the reinterview, describing it as “a bit superstitious” and inappropriate given its global association with tragedy.
“In addition, I happen to be a little bit superstitious of being given a significant date, not just for the United States but the rest of the world. I’m talking about 9/11. This is a day which I have always considered very critical for the United States especially. To me, 9/11 should be regarded as a day of national mourning, of atonement by the Consulate of the United States,” he said.
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