FFK Accuses SA Presidency of Cutting Nigeria Out of Credentials Livestream

Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, on Friday presented his Letters of Credence to President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria, formally completing his accreditation after a four-year gap without a substantive Nigerian envoy. The ceremony at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House, however, was immediately overshadowed by Fani-Kayode’s sharp protest that the South African Presidency deliberately excluded his introduction and speech from its official livestream.

Fifteen ambassadors from countries including France, Germany, the European Union, South Sudan, Somalia and others presented credentials alongside the Nigerian envoy. The event was streamed live by the Presidency for a global audience. According to Fani-Kayode, every other diplomat was formally introduced and allowed to deliver remarks. Nigeria alone was cut out. The feed, he said, resumed only 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,” Fani-Kayode wrote afterwards. He confronted Ramaphosa during the subsequent photo session. The South African president, the envoy acknowledged, responded promptly, escorting him to the relevant officials and instructing them to fix the problem. By then the moment had passed.

Fani-Kayode interpreted the omission as more than a technical glitch. “Clearly some elements in South Africa do not want to hear what we have to say or see our faces,” he said, while insisting Nigeria would remain as long as it retained the confidence of the South African president. He declined an interview request from the state broadcaster SABC, telling its crew to listen instead to the speech their Presidency had refused to air. Two Nigerian television stations present at the event recorded his full remarks and will release the footage.

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Hours after the protest, the South African Presidency uploaded the complete ceremony video, including Fani-Kayode’s address, to its YouTube channel. In the speech the High Commissioner spoke of Nigeria’s historic solidarity with South Africa during the apartheid years, described the two nations as major African trade partners, and pledged to rebuild strained bridges, deepen economic cooperation and protect the interests of Nigerians living in the country.

Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation, received his Letters of Credence from the Nigerian government in July after obtaining agrément. He presented copies of the documents to South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation on 30 October, allowing him to begin representational duties under revised protocol rules. Friday’s ceremony with Ramaphosa completed the formal process. He is concurrently accredited to Lesotho and Eswatini.

The episode highlights lingering sensitivities in Nigeria–South Africa relations even as both governments continue routine diplomatic engagement. Fani-Kayode closed his statement by thanking Ramaphosa for his intervention and reaffirming respect for the South African people while drawing a firm line against any perceived slight to Nigeria or its citizens.