Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, and the South African presidency have exchanged heated words over the alleged exclusion of Nigeria’s delegation from a livestream of the presentation of his letter of credence to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Fani-Kayode accused South African presidential officials of deliberately cutting off the Nigerian delegation’s presentation during a ceremony involving 15 ambassadors in Pretoria on Friday.
In a post on his Facebook page, the Nigerian envoy claimed that all the other ambassadors were formally introduced and allowed to deliver speeches, while Nigeria’s presentation was omitted from the broadcast.
He said the livestream was interrupted during his introduction and speech and only resumed after he had finished speaking.
“Of all the 15 introductions and speeches that were made and delivered this morning, only Nigeria’s was cut out,” he alleged.
Fani-Kayode said he raised the matter directly with Ramaphosa, who reportedly questioned the officials responsible and directed them to address the issue immediately.
However, he said the intervention came too late, as the Nigerian delegation had already been excluded from the broadcast.
The former Minister of Aviation suggested that the incident might have been the result of a deliberate attempt by some individuals to prevent his speech from reaching the public.
He added that at least two Nigerian television stations were present at the event and had recorded his address, which he promised would be made available to Nigerians.
South Africa rejects Fani-Kayode’s account
However, the South African presidency has challenged the envoy’s account of what happened.
The spokesperson to President Ramaphosa, Vincent Magwenya, accused Fani-Kayode of misrepresenting the president’s involvement in the matter.
In a response on X, Magwenya said Ramaphosa neither intervened on the envoy’s behalf nor interfered with the operations of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
He explained that the president merely directed Fani-Kayode to Sophie Mokoena, whom he described as the appropriate person to address his complaint.
“Your Excellency, you refused to speak to @Sophie_Mokoena who would have cleared the misunderstanding with you,” Magwenya wrote.
He encouraged the Nigerian envoy to establish a professional relationship with the public broadcaster as he begins his diplomatic assignment in the country.
Magwenya also maintained that the South African president had no legal or political authority to interfere with the broadcaster’s editorial decisions or daily operations.
He described Fani-Kayode’s reaction to what he considered a minor operational issue as inappropriate, urging him to engage constructively with South African institutions and respect the country’s constitutional provisions.
“I wish you well on your tenure and I hope you begin to engage the various aspects of South African society and its constitutional tenets constructively,” he added.
Meanwhile, the President of the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa, Frank Onyekwelu, told Saturday PUNCH that he was not present in the Presidential Guest Room when the incident occurred.
He said the association had been informed about the development and that he was already discussing the matter with a media organisation.
The disagreement has sparked fresh diplomatic exchanges between the Nigerian envoy and South African officials, with both sides offering different accounts of the incident.
