By Palang Paul
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has condemned the decision of the Donald Trump-led United States government to revoke the visa of Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.
Reacting to the development in a Facebook post, Sowore described the action as “sad,” questioning what the United States had become under the Trump administration.
“Donald Trump reportedly revokes U.S. visa of Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka! SAD! What the U.S. has become!” Sowore wrote.
Earlier reports by SaharaReporters revealed that Soyinka expressed deep surprise after receiving official communication from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos notifying him that his non-immigrant visa had been revoked.
Speaking during a media parley at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island, on Tuesday, the revered playwright said he was unaware of any wrongdoing that could have warranted such an action.
“It is necessary for me to hold this conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for events 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 him, the letter from the Consulate read in part:
“This letter serves as official notification by the United States Consulate General in Lagos that the non-immigrant visa listed below has been revoked pursuant to the authority contained in U.S. Department of State regulations.”
However, the letter did not specify any reason for the decision, leaving the Nobel laureate puzzled.
Expressing his bewilderment, Soyinka said:
“I’m still looking into my past history… I don’t have any criminal record or even a misdemeanor to justify this. Have I ever misbehaved toward the United States of America? Have I been convicted or gone against the law anywhere?”
He explained that his long-standing relationship with U.S. officials and cultural institutions had always been cordial, adding that he had participated in numerous international engagements hosted in the country.
Soyinka also revealed that the U.S. Consulate had earlier invited him for a visa re-interview scheduled for Thursday, September 11 — a date he described as “bizarre” and “superstitious,” given its tragic historical significance.
“I initially thought the notice was fake — possibly a scam or AI-generated letter — because I had never received anything like that before. But when I confirmed it was genuine, I couldn’t understand why,” he explained.
The Nobel laureate further stated that attending such an interview was out of consideration, as he had no desire to visit a country that seemed unwelcoming.
“To me, 9/11 should be regarded as a day of national mourning and atonement by the United States. Fixing a visa interview on such a day felt inappropriate,” he said.
The U.S. Consulate has not publicly commented on the reasons behind the visa revocation.
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