Fani-Kayode, South Africa in Fresh Diplomatic Dispute
Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has become involved in a public disagreement with South African officials following a diplomatic ceremony in Pretoria.
The controversy emerged after 15 ambassadors presented their letters of credence to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday, with Nigeria’s delegation raising concerns.
Fani-Kayode alleged that the South African presidency deliberately excluded his delegation from the livestream, despite allowing other ambassadors to introduce themselves and speak.
In a Facebook post, the Nigerian diplomat said all 15 ambassadors received formal introductions and opportunities to address the South African President during proceedings.
However, he claimed that Nigeria’s presentation was missing from the broadcast, which reportedly resumed only after he had finished delivering his speech.
The envoy further disclosed that he complained directly to Ramaphosa, who questioned the officials involved and instructed them to address the matter immediately.
According to Fani-Kayode, the President’s intervention came too late because the Nigerian delegation had already been excluded from the televised proceedings.
He also suggested that some individuals might have deliberately prevented his speech from being broadcast, although he did not provide evidence for this claim.
Fani-Kayode added that two Nigerian television stations recorded his address during the ceremony and promised that Nigerians would eventually have access to it.
Reacting to the allegation, South African presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya challenged the Nigerian envoy’s account of what happened during the diplomatic engagement.
In a response on X, Magwenya said Ramaphosa neither intervened on Fani-Kayode’s behalf nor attempted to influence the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
He explained that the President directed the Nigerian envoy to Sophie Mokoena, whom he identified as the appropriate official to address his complaint.
Magwenya further claimed that Fani-Kayode declined to speak with Mokoena, insisting that such a conversation could have cleared up the misunderstanding.
He advised the Nigerian High Commissioner to establish a professional relationship with the South African Broadcasting Corporation as he begins his diplomatic assignment.
The presidential spokesperson also argued that Ramaphosa had no constitutional authority to interfere with the broadcaster’s operations or editorial decisions.
Describing the envoy’s reaction as excessive, Magwenya maintained that the incident was a minor operational issue that required constructive engagement.
Meanwhile, President of the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa, Frank Onyekwelu, said he was not present when the incident occurred.
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, Onyekwelu confirmed that Nigerians had received information about the matter and disclosed that he was discussing it with another media organisation.
The disagreement has attracted attention to Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement with South Africa, as both parties continue to present different explanations of the incident.
