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The United States Consulate in Lagos has clarified that the issuance of American visas to foreign nationals is a matter of privilege and not an automatic right.
The clarification follows reactions to the reported revocation of Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka’s travel visa.
Responding to inquiries about the development, the US Mission in Nigeria said the decision to issue or withdraw a visa rests solely with the US government and may occur at any time deemed necessary.
In an email statement, the Mission’s spokesperson explained: “Under US law, visa records are generally confidential. We cannot comment on specific visa cases. However, visas are a privilege, not a right. Every country, including the United States, reserves the authority to determine who enters its borders.”
The Consulate further emphasized that a visa may be withdrawn whenever new information becomes available that affects an applicant’s eligibility.
The statement came days after Prof. Soyinka, during a media session at Freedom Park, Lagos, revealed that his B1/B2 visa had been invalidated.
The 91-year-old literary icon said he received formal notification from the US Consulate General, dated October 23, 2025, informing him of the revocation.
“It is necessary to inform those expecting me in the United States that I no longer have a valid visa. I am, apparently, not welcome there for now,” Soyinka told journalists at the event titled “Unending Saga: Idi Amin in Whiteface.”
The playwright, who became Africa’s first Nobel Laureate in Literature in 1986, said he had no prior indication of any wrongdoing that could warrant such action, adding that the development came as a surprise.
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