The clarification came on Thursday in response to media inquiries following the revocation of the U.S. visa previously granted to Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.
In an email response to The PUNCH, Julia McKay, Public Diplomacy Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, said the mission could not comment on individual visa matters 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 stated.
She added that the U.S. government reserves the authority to withdraw a visa if circumstances warrant.
“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,” she explained.
The statement follows Soyinka’s revelation during a media parley on Tuesday at Freedom Park, Lagos, where he announced that his B1/B2 visa had been revoked. The 91-year-old writer said the notification was conveyed in a letter from the Consulate dated October 23, 2025, and that he had since been advised to return the document for physical cancellation.
“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,” the Nobel laureate told journalists during the session titled “Unending Saga: Idi Amin in Whiteface.”
Soyinka, who has lived and taught in the U.S. for decades, expressed surprise over the decision, insisting he was unaware of any wrongdoing that could have triggered the revocation. He recounted two minor incidents from the past — one involving an undeclared packet of peppers at a U.S. airport and another concerning a police encounter in Atlanta in the 1970s — but dismissed the notion that these could be the cause.
“I’ve started looking back—have I ever misbehaved towards the United States? Do I have a history? Have I gone against the law anywhere?” he asked rhetorically.
According to the Consulate’s letter, the visa was revoked “pursuant to the authority contained in the U.S. Department of State regulations 22 CFR 41.122,” with the reason cited as “additional information becoming available after issuance.” The document added that Soyinka would need to reapply if he wished to visit the U.S. again.
Soyinka, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, is one of Africa’s most celebrated literary figures. His visa revocation has sparked conversations about the U.S. government’s recent tightening of immigration and entry policies, particularly concerning African travellers.
The development adds a diplomatic undertone to an already delicate conversation about travel privileges, sovereignty, and global mobility — even for individuals of international renown.