‘Content’: Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka’s US visa revoked
The United States consulate in Lagos has revoked the visa of Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, the 91-year-old playwright confirmed on Tuesday, claiming that he was “content” with the decision.“I want to assure the consulate… that I’m very content with the revocation of my visa,” Soyinka told reporters at a press conference in Lagos.Soyinka, who won the 1986 Nobel Prize for Literature, previously held permanent US residency but destroyed his green card after Donald Trump’s first election in 2016. He has remained a vocal critic of the US president, now serving his second term.Earlier this year, Soyinka said he was called in by the US consulate for an interview to reassess his visa status.According to a letter from the consulate, seen by AFP, officials cited US State Department regulations allowing “a consular officer, the Secretary, or a Department official to whom the Secretary has delegated this authority… to revoke a nonimmigrant visa at any time, in his or her discretion.”Reading the letter aloud, Soyinka said officials had asked him to bring his passport to the consulate so that the visa could be cancelled in person.The Trump administration has made visa revocations a key part of its immigration crackdown, with several cases involving foreign academics and students, particularly those vocal about Palestinian rights.
