The United States Embassy in Lagos has cleared the air on the revocation of Professor Wole Soyinka’s visa, stating that U.S. entry visas are privileges, not rights and can be revoked at any time.
The embassy made the clarification on Thursday following public interest in the Nobel laureate’s disclosure that his B1/B2 visa had been cancelled by the U.S. Consulate in Lagos.
Speaking through its public diplomacy officer, Julia McKay, the consulate said it could not discuss the details of prof. Soyinka’s visa case due to confidentiality laws.
“Under U.S. law, visa records are generally confidential. We will not discuss the details of this individual visa case,” McKay said.
She added, “Visas are a privilege, not a right. Every country, including the United States, can determine who enters its borders. Visas may be revoked at any time, at the discretion of the U.S. government, whenever circumstances warrant.”
Soyinka had announced the visa revocation during a media briefing on Tuesday in Lagos, saying he received a letter dated October 23, from the Consulate notifying him of the cancellation under U.S. Department of State regulations 22 CFR 41.122.
The letter stated that new information became available after the visa was issued, leading to its withdrawal.
Soyinka told journalists he could not identify any reason for the decision but recalled two minor incidents from decades ago, one involving undeclared peppers at a U.S. airport and another involving a disagreement with police in Atlanta.
The consulate further requested Soyinka to bring his visa to the Lagos Embassy “for physical cancellation,” a request he described as humorous, asking if anyone in the audience would volunteer to deliver it on his behalf.
“If you have plans to travel to the United States, you must apply again to re-establish your qualifications for a new non-immigrant visa,” the letter, issued by the NIV Section of the Consulate, stated.
Wole Soyinka’s visa was issued on April 2, 2024, in Lagos, according to the letter.
Best known as a playwright, Soyinka won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986.
He has lived abroad, primarily in the U.S., where he held professorships at several universities.
