Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has accused officials of the South African Presidency of deliberately excluding Nigeria’s presentation and his speech from the livestream of a diplomatic ceremony attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Fani-Kayode made the allegation on Friday after formally presenting his Letters of Credence to President Ramaphosa at the South African Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.
According to the Nigerian envoy, representatives of 15 countries participated in the ceremony, with each country given the opportunity to be introduced and deliver a speech.
However, he alleged that Nigeria’s presentation was deliberately left out of the live broadcast, describing the incident as unfair treatment of the country.
Fani-Kayode explained that the livestream was reportedly stopped when it was Nigeria’s turn to make its presentation and only resumed after he had finished delivering his speech.
He maintained that Nigeria was the only country whose presentation was not shown during the broadcast, which was being watched by Nigerians, South Africans and other members of the international community.
The former Minister of Aviation disclosed that he personally raised the issue with President Ramaphosa during a photo session after the ceremony.
He said the South African President responded by taking him to relevant officials and directing them to address the complaint. However, Fani-Kayode noted that the intervention came too late to have Nigeria’s presentation included in the livestream.
The Nigerian envoy further revealed that television stations from Nigeria that attended the event recorded his speech and would make the footage available to the public.
He also disclosed that he turned down an interview request from the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), explaining that he was unhappy with the manner in which Nigeria had been treated during the broadcast.
Despite expressing disappointment over the incident, Fani-Kayode said he maintained great respect for South Africa and its people.
He, however, stressed that he would not tolerate any action he considered disrespectful towards Nigeria and its citizens.
Fani-Kayode also acknowledged President Ramaphosa’s response to his complaint, expressing confidence in the South African leader’s commitment to maintaining cordial diplomatic relations between both countries.
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Earlier, the South African Presidency had announced that Ramaphosa would receive Letters of Credence from diplomatic representatives of 15 countries, including Nigeria, during the ceremony.
The presentation of Letters of Credence is a formal diplomatic procedure through which a country’s president officially recognises an ambassador or high commissioner appointed by another government.
The ceremony marks an important step in establishing diplomatic representation and strengthening bilateral relations between countries.
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