A 2006 Nigerian newspaper front page claiming that Femi Fani-Kayode testified in church about being cured of madness is circulating again on South African social media — this time as ammunition in a diplomatic row.
The resurfaced P.M. News headline, “How I was Cured of Madness. Fani-Kayode, OBJ’s Minister Gives Testimony In Church,” which reported that he received psychiatric treatment in Ghana, began trending after the Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa publicly complained about his treatment at a credential ceremony.
Fani-Kayode was one of 15 ambassadors who presented their letters of credence to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday at the Sefako M. Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Tshwane, Gauteng.
Trouble started during the livestream of the ceremony. The broadcast appeared to glitch while French Ambassador Antoine Michon — who spoke just before Fani-Kayode — was delivering his address. It then cut to Ramaphosa addressing the ambassadors, leaving viewers questioning why the Nigerian envoy’s speech was not aired.
Fani-Kayode took to X with a lengthy post, saying his speech was cut off. He claimed he raised the issue directly with Ramaphosa, who he said personally took him to the officials responsible and acted swiftly.
He also said he turned down an interview request from SABC News over what he called the deplorable treatment of the Nigerian delegation.
The Presidency pushed back, accusing him of misrepresenting what happened.
Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa did not intervene in the operations or editorial decisions of public broadcasters. Instead, he said, the president simply referred Fani-Kayode to Sophie Mokoena, SABC’s acting political and foreign editor, to lodge his complaint — an offer the envoy declined.
Magwenya described Fani-Kayode’s reaction as inappropriate for what he called a minor operational misunderstanding, and urged him to engage constructively with the broadcaster.
Hours later, the Presidency uploaded a separate video of Fani-Kayode’s speech to its YouTube channel.
But by then, the 20-year-old report had already taken on a life of its own online, with social media users sharing it widely and using it to mock the envoy.