A sharp diplomatic row has broken out between the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa and the spokesperson to President Cyril Ramaphosa, Vincent Magwenya, over the exclusion of Nigeria’s High Commissioner, Femi Fani-Kayode, from the live broadcast of a credential presentation ceremony.
The dispute stems from Friday’s event at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria, where 15 newly posted ambassadors presented their letters of credence to President Ramaphosa.
Fani-Kayode had alleged that while the introductions and speeches of the other 14 envoys were aired live, the broadcast was deliberately cut during Nigeria’s turn and resumed only after he had concluded his remarks. According to the envoy, he raised the issue with Ramaphosa during a photo session after the ceremony, prompting the South African leader to summon broadcast officials and direct them to rectify the omission.
Magwenya, however, pushed back against Fani-Kayode’s account, accusing the Nigerian envoy of misrepresenting the President’s intervention. In a public statement, the presidential spokesperson maintained that Ramaphosa neither interfered with the operations of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) nor intervened on the ambassador’s behalf.
“In South Africa, the President does not intervene on operational matters at the public broadcasters, neither did he intervene on your behalf. He simply pointed you to @Sophie_Mokoena, who was the most appropriate person to raise your grievance with,” Magwenya stated.
Faulting Fani-Kayode for allegedly refusing to engage Mokoena for clarification, Magwenya described the ambassador’s handling of the complaint as “grossly inappropriate” and urged him to build a professional working relationship with the broadcaster.
“The SABC is a public broadcaster. The President carries no legal or political mandate to interfere with its operations or intervene in its editorial processes. Frankly, your approach in this regard on a minor operational issue which you misunderstood was grossly inappropriate,” he added.
In a strongly worded rebuttal issued on Saturday, the Nigerian High Commission dismissed Magwenya’s claims, insisting that the envoy was treated with contempt and that the broadcast blackout amounted to a slight against Nigeria.
“You are the disgrace and no one else. Outside of that, your insolence and ignorance know no bounds,” the mission stated. “Thankfully, your President had the decency and presence of mind to put out the fire and direct you and your state broadcaster to do the right thing. He literally saved the day.”
Questioning the spokesperson’s posture toward a newly accredited envoy, the Commission added: “Did you really expect him to simply stomach your ill manners and keep quiet? If so, you have misunderstood the character and nature of the Nigerian. We cannot be easily cowed.
“To us, this matter is closed, but if you wish to escalate it, you are welcome to do so and we are up to the task. A word is enough for the wise.”
Hours after Fani-Kayode lodged his complaint, the South African Presidency uploaded a standalone video of his speech to its official YouTube channel.
During the ceremony, Fani-Kayode—whose posting ends a four-year absence of a substantive Nigerian High Commissioner in South Africa—had pledged to mend and strengthen bilateral ties between both nations, recalling Nigeria’s historic role in South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle.
