The United States Consulate in Lagos says the issuance of US visas to foreign nationals is a privilege, not a right.
The Consulate made this clarification on Thursday in response to inquiries on the revocation of the visa of Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.
The Consulate said it would not comment on the specifics of the case for confidentiality reasons.
“Under US law, visa records are generally confidential. We will not discuss the details of this individual visa case,” the Public Diplomacy Officer, US Department of State, US Consulate General, Lagos, Julia McKay, said.
McKay added that visas could be revoked at any time at the discretion of the US government.
“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, whenever circumstances warrant,” she stated.
Soyinka had on Tuesday in Lagos announced that his B1/B2 visa had been revoked by the US government.
Speaking at a media parley held at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos, the 91-year-old writer said he received a notification letter from the US Consulate General dated Oct. 23, 2025.
“It is necessary for me to hold this press 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,” Soyinka said.
He said he was unaware of any wrongdoing that could have led to the revocation.
“I’ve started looking back—have I ever misbehaved toward the United States? Have I been convicted or gone against the law anywhere?” he asked.
Soyinka recalled two minor incidents from the past, including being fined for failing to declare green chilies at a Chicago airport and a confrontation with a police officer during a conference in Atlanta in the early 1970s.
According to the Consulate’s letter, Soyinka’s non-immigrant visa “has been revoked pursuant to the authority contained in the U.S. Department of State regulations 22 CFR 41.122 and is no longer valid for entry into the United States.”
The Consulate also requested that the revoked visa be returned to the Embassy in Lagos for cancellation.
Soyinka’s B1/B2 visa, issued on April 2, 2024, is a temporary, non-immigrant visa for business and tourism.
The Nobel laureate, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, has taught in several American universities and lived in the US for long periods.
His visa revocation has drawn reactions amid recent measures by Washington to reduce the inflow of migrants from Africa.
