Get Guardian on GoogleFemi Fani-Kayode, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, has accused the South African presidency of deliberately excluding his speech from the livestream of a ceremony where he presented his letters of credence to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Fani-Kayode made the allegation in a lengthy post on his official X account following the ceremony held on Friday at the Sefako M. Makgatho presidential guest house in Tshwane, Gauteng.
The Nigerian envoy presented his letters of credence alongside 14 other ambassadors appointed to South Africa, formally marking the presentation of their diplomatic credentials to Ramaphosa.
The ceremony was broadcast live on YouTube by the South African presidency, with each ambassador given an opportunity to deliver a brief speech before presenting their letters of credence to the president.
However, the livestream appeared to experience a technical glitch while Antoine Michon, the French ambassador to South Africa, was delivering his address.
The broadcast subsequently cut to Ramaphosa addressing the ambassadors, rather than continuing with the individual speeches.
Fani-Kayode, who was the last diplomat to present his credentials after Michon, alleged that the South African presidency deliberately excluded his address from the broadcast.
According to him, the livestream was interrupted during his speech and only resumed after he had concluded his remarks.
“They went a step further by cutting us out of the livestream completely and went back on livestream only after my speech was concluded,” he wrote.
The former Nigerian Minister of Aviation said he confronted Ramaphosa over the incident during a subsequent photo session, adding that the South African president directed relevant officials to address the matter.
Fani-Kayode said Ramaphosa personally took him to the officials responsible for the broadcast and questioned them about the alleged exclusion.
“Right there in my presence he questioned them and directed them to resolve the issue immediately. Sadly, by then it was too late and Nigeria had been left out. To be clear, I repeat, we were the ONLY ones that were left out,” he said.
He further suggested that some individuals in South Africa were uncomfortable with Nigeria’s diplomatic presence, insisting that he would continue to serve as high commissioner as long as he enjoyed the confidence of Ramaphosa.
“Clearly some elements in South Africa do not want to hear what we have to say or see our faces, but we are here to stay as long as we are welcome and have the confidence of President Ramaphosa, which I am sure we do,” he added.
The Nigerian envoy also disclosed that he declined an interview offered to him by SABC News, South Africa’s state broadcaster, following what he described as the deplorable treatment meted out to him during the ceremony.
He, however, said he would release a recording of his speech, which he claimed was captured by two Nigerian television stations present at the event.
Fani-Kayode also promised to make public footage showing his interaction with Ramaphosa over the incident.
The South African presidency’s explanation for the interruption of the livestream was not included in Fani-Kayode’s account.
