Visa Controversy: Soyinka Explains Why He Snubbed US Embassy Reinterview

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has declined an invitation from the United States Consulate in Nigeria to attend a visa reinterview.

The revered playwright and literary icon explained that he would not participate in such a process under the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he likened to Uganda’s late dictator, Idi Amin.

The Consulate had extended the invitation to Nigerians holding B1/B2 visas, scheduling Soyinka’s appointment for Thursday, September 11.

Speaking in an interview with The News, Soyinka said he initially dismissed the letter as a scam since he had never received such a request before but later confirmed its legitimacy.

He criticized the choice of date, stressing that September 11 is a day of mourning in the United States and should not be treated as an ordinary day for bureaucratic engagements.

Soyinka further stated that he had no desire to travel to countries where he felt unwelcome, emphasizing that he had more pressing responsibilities than chasing visas.

For him, the refusal was not about personal inconvenience but about principle. He made it clear that he would rather sever ties than submit to a process tied to a government he deeply distrusts.

“Are we looking, in the case of the United States, at the white Idi Amin?” Soyinka asked. “If you study the conduct, behaviour, and mentality of the current president, you realize there are Idi Amins of different colours. And if Idi Amin summons me to his embassy, I would think twice before going — because I cannot be sure of what awaits me behind that door.”