NLS URGES TINUBU TO REDEPLOY FANI-KAYODE FROM SOUTH AFRICA OVER XENOPHOBIC TENSIONS
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By: Muftau Fatimo
The Nigerian Law Society (NLS) has called on President Bola Tinubu to redeploy Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, to another country to prevent further diplomatic tensions and possible escalation of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians.
The society, an umbrella body of Nigerian non-litigation lawyers, made the appeal in a letter addressed to the President and signed by its Executive Secretary, Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja.
The request followed a disagreement between Fani-Kayode and the South African government after the Nigerian envoy alleged that his speech during the presentation of his letters of credence was deliberately excluded from the event’s livestream by South African officials.
Fani-Kayode raised the allegation in a statement shared on his X account, prompting a response from the South African government, which described his conduct as inappropriate.
Reacting to the development, the NLS maintained that the situation required a more diplomatic approach, particularly amid concerns over xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians living in South Africa.
In the letter, the society urged Tinubu to exercise his constitutional powers under Sections 171(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution to redeploy ambassadors and high commissioners representing Nigeria.
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It specifically requested that Fani-Kayode be transferred to another African country or any other country outside South Africa with immediate effect.
According to the NLS, the decision was necessary because the South African presidency had reportedly lodged a formal complaint against Fani-Kayode less than a month after his deployment as Nigeria’s High Commissioner.
The society further noted that at least 14 other diplomats attended the event that sparked the controversy but allegedly chose to use established diplomatic channels to address any grievances they might have had.
It accused Fani-Kayode of breaching diplomatic protocols by taking his complaints directly to the public instead of first exhausting diplomatic channels.
The NLS stressed that Nigeria’s relationship with South Africa, especially in view of recent xenophobic attacks against Nigerian residents, required a representative with strong diplomatic skills and experience in managing sensitive international relations.
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