Folalumi Alaran in Abuja
The Nigerian High Commission in South Africa has pushed back against Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya over his accusation that Nigeria’s newly accredited High Commissioner, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, lied about President Cyril Ramaphosa intervening in the controversy surrounding his diplomatic credentials presentation.
In a strongly worded response on X, the Nigerian mission described Magwenya’s conduct as provocative and diplomatically inappropriate, insisting that President Ramaphosa personally intervened to resolve the matter after Fani-Kayode raised concerns over the omission of his address during Friday’s credentials ceremony in Tshwane.
“You are the disgrace and no-one else. Outside of that your insolence and ignorance knows no bounds,” the Commission declared, rejecting Magwenya’s attempt to portray the Nigerian envoy as dishonest and accusing the South African spokesperson of bringing his country into disrepute.
The controversy followed the apparent disruption of the South African Presidency’s YouTube livestream around the time Fani-Kayode was due to present his letters of credence to Ramaphosa. The broadcast subsequently resumed while the South African president was addressing the ambassadors.
Fani-Kayode, who was the last diplomat to present his credentials, expressed displeasure over what he described as the deliberate omission of his speech. He said he spoke with Ramaphosa, who apologised and assured him that everything was fine.
Reacting to Magwenya’s denial of presidential intervention, the Nigerian High Commission maintained that Ramaphosa had stepped in to resolve the disagreement.
“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,” the mission said.
The Commission also recalled an earlier controversy in which Magwenya reportedly described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Ghanaian President John Mahama as peddlers of fake news following their concerns about xenophobia and Afrophobia in South Africa, noting that Nigeria had previously refrained from escalating the matter.
Questioning Magwenya’s conduct towards Nigeria’s newly accredited envoy, the Commission asked: “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.”
It also disclosed that several newly accredited ambassadors witnessed the proceedings and that it had the full video recording of events following the official photographs.
Insisting that the disagreement should have been handled through diplomatic channels, the Nigerian High Commission urged Magwenya to exercise restraint and embrace reconciliation, stressing that its concern was the preservation of cordial relations between Nigeria and South Africa.
“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,” the Commission declared.
