Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, 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 presented his credentials alongside 14 other ambassadors on Friday at the Sefako M. Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Tshwane, Gauteng.
The South African presidency streamed the ceremony live on YouTube, with each diplomat delivering a brief speech before presenting their letters of credence.
Fani-Kayode was the last ambassador to present his credentials, following French Ambassador Antoine Michon.
However, the livestream appeared to experience a technical glitch while Michon was delivering his speech. The broadcast subsequently cut to Ramaphosa addressing the ambassadors.
In a lengthy post on X after the ceremony, Fani-Kayode alleged that the South African presidency had refused to broadcast his address.
“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 Nigerian diplomat said he raised the matter directly with Ramaphosa during the subsequent photo session.
According to him, the South African president took him to the officials responsible for the broadcast and immediately questioned them over the incident.
“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,” Fani-Kayode said.
He suggested that some individuals in South Africa were uncomfortable with Nigeria’s presence, but maintained that he would continue serving as high commissioner as long as he remained welcome and enjoyed Ramaphosa’s confidence.
Fani-Kayode also disclosed that he declined an interview offered by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC News), citing what he described as the deplorable treatment he received during the ceremony.
He added that he would release a recording of his speech, which he said was captured by two Nigerian television stations at the event, alongside footage showing him raising the complaint with Ramaphosa.
The South African presidency’s explanation for the interruption and the alleged exclusion had not been included in Fani-Kayode’s account.
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