Femi Fani-Kayode

Father. Husband. Lover of God. Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Republic of South Africa, the Kingdom of Lesotho & the Kingdom of Eswatini.

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

"No matter what anybody says, Nigeria remains the big brother of all African nations"- @realffk.

Speech during the inaugural Nigerian Fair, Nigerian Consulate, Johannesburg, South Africa, 7th November 2026.

[Bayo Onanuga, OON, CON @aonanuga1956]

Re: Tokunbo Pearce & President Bola Tinubu

This is not a bombshell but an eggshell flying around Tokunbo's kitchen in his Araoti Street residence. Honour and integrity are in short supply in contemporary Nigerian politics. I had hoped that Tokunbo would not cross a particular line. I have never said a word over the years about his scurrilous and spurious attacks on President Tinubu.

I feel particularly pained by this because I brought them together and I know all that Tinubu did for him. In fairness to him, the president has never brought up the matter for discussion. I was a visiting Doctoral Student and Honorary Visiting Lecturer at the Department of English, University of Sheffield between February, 1981 and September, 1982. Tokunbo was a graduate student and we became great friends.

After a spell at the University of Buffalo, I returned to Ife later that year to defend my Doctoral thesis. Tokunbo defended his thesis in 1985 and thereafter left for America before disappearing in a Haitian haze for almost a decade.

In 2003, I was part of Senator Tinubu's entourage to his Alma mater, Chicago State University. We received a hero's welcome and Tinubu was accorded a rousing reception by the University officials usually reserved for distinguished alumni who have brought honour to their Alma mater.

We took pictures and received many souvenirs. That is not the way of a rogue student. At 78, desperation is beginning to cloud everything Tokunbo says and does. If I have not heard of his illustrious father, late Commander Afolabi Pearse and his impeccably behaved brothers, retired Navy Captain Femi Pearse and Yomi Pearse, I would have concluded that being a shameless scoundrel is a familial trait.

In keeping with where I come from, I assure Toks that all the other secrets are safe with me until he crosses another line.

-Prof Adebayo Williams
November 10, 2026

[News Central TV @NewsCentralTV]

"Africanism...is very, very important." - Femi Fani-Kayode.

Nigerians in South Africa have showcased their cultural heritage at the Nigerian Fair in Johannesburg, with traditional food, fashion, music and performances bringing people from different backgrounds together.

[Reno Omokri @renoomokri]

I Went To @ChicagoState University and Proved That President Tinubu Was Admitted, Attended and Graduated From There. I Urge Nigerian Journalists Not To Sit in Studios Peddling Gossip, But To Also Go To Chicago, Like I Did, and Verify.

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

@nwoko_greg62705 Wow...

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

Wow...

[Greg Nwoko 🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬 @nwoko_greg62705]

1961: Nigeria was the first African nation to break diplomatic relations with France, and the day was 5 January 1961.

That was not a quiet diplomatic quarrel. That was Nigeria standing up in front of the whole world and saying, enough is enough.

France had gone into the Sahara Desert and exploded an atomic bomb, the third one, on 27 December 1960. They called it Gerboise Rouge.

Nigeria had warned them before the test. African leaders had warned them. The people had warned them. The fear was simple and real.

The harmattan wind could carry radioactive fallout south, into Nigeria and into other African countries, and poison the air, the water, the soil, and the bodies of innocent people who had never asked for any bomb.

France tested anyway.

Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa did not hide behind a statement.

On the evening of Dec. 28th 1960, The French Ambassador, Raymond Offroy, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and told of the Nigerian Government's “concern” over France's explosion of an atomic bomb in the Sahara, then January 5th, 1961, Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa summoned the French ambassador in Lagos, Raymond Offroy, and told him face to face that Nigeria was cutting diplomatic relations with France.

He personally handed him the letter. In that letter, Balewa spoke of the greatest resentment at the unalloyed intransigence of the French Government and the utter disregard with which that Government had treated the feelings of Nigerians on the question of atomic tests in the Sahara Desert.

Then came the part the French would never forget. The ambassador and his embassy staff were given only forty eight hours to leave Nigeria. Forty eight hours. And to make the message even sharper, Nigeria barred French planes and vessels from using Nigerian airports and ports, cancelled French transit rights through Nigeria, banned French ships from its coastal waters, and froze French assets in the country.

Think about that. This was 1961. Nigeria had only become independent on 1 October 1960. Barely three months into independence, a young African country looked one of the most powerful nations on earth in the eye and said, if you will not respect African lives, you will not enjoy African friendship.

That is why this story still matters. It was not only about a bomb in the desert. It was about dignity. It was about a new nation refusing to be treated as if its people did not matter. It was Nigeria saying that African lives are not expendable, and that no friendship is worth the silence that allows your neighbour to be poisoned.

Nigeria paid a price for that courage. Relations with France stayed broken until 1965. But history remembers who spoke first, and who acted first.

On 5 January 1961, Nigeria spoke, and Nigeria acted.

Let us never forget that this country once had the courage to stand alone for Africa.

If this history moved you, drop a comment and share it, so the next generation will know what Nigeria once stood for.

Now You Know

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

What's the word???

"JOHANNASBURG!" 🙏❤️😊😍🇳🇬💥

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

I was honored to be invited as the Special Guest of Honor at the inaugural Nigerian community fair which held at the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg yesterday afternoon.

I commend the efforts of Ambassador Nini Okey-Uche, Nigeria's Consul-General in South Africa, and all those that collaborated with her to make this such a great event.

May the Nigerian community in South Africa continue to go from strength to strength.

(FFK)

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

@SaheedA61640844 🙏

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

Honored to have been received so warmly by His Excellency, Ambassador Mansour Shakib Mehr, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to South Africa, in his office in Pretoria yesterday.

We had a fruitful and productive discussion about bilateral relations between our two great countries and international affairs.

Ambassador Mehr is a highly experienced and first class diplomat and I am glad to have had the opportunity to tap from his wealth of knowledge.

(FFK)

@IraninSA

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

@AFOLABIYUS39480 🙏

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

@AkimAlo101 🙏

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

@mardortii 🙏

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

@BatifiedNuMedia 🙏

[Iran Embassy SA @IraninSA]

Wishing you success and health in this mission, and greater friendship between our nations.

Iran and Nigeria, two friendly nations.

[Sky News @SkyNews]

"Tonight we defeated Goliath."

Democrat James Talarico gives a speech following his win in the Texas Senate race against Republican Ken Paxton, saying this sends a message to "every billionaire megadonor."

Watch our live coverage ➡️ https://t.co/LjwiYXsd1D

[Mr. Truth @JustMrTruth]

The Nigerian ambassador to South Africa 🇿🇦 gave a beautiful speech in Johannesburg. This is very impressive 😊🇳🇬🫶🏽🇿🇦

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

At a meeting with the Nigerian Union of South Africa (NUSA) and the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA) in Johannesburg on October 26th 2026.

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

PART 3

[Femi Fani-Kayode @realFFK]

PART 2

(PART 3 BELOW 👇 👇 👇)