Nigeria's APC Party Official Tells UK to Recall Its Intellectually-Stunted Envoy

Femi Fani-Kayode, the Director of New Media for Nigeria's All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, has called on the British Government to withdraw its Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Benedict Llewellyn-Jones, due to what he perceives as incompetence and disrespect for the West African country's internal affairs.

"I call on the British Govt. to recall Benedict Llewellyn-Jones, the Dep. British High Commissioner, from our country for interfering in our internal affairs and attempting to involve himself in our politics," Fani-Kayode wrote in a statement. "Like a bull in a China shop, he is bullish, uncouth, dangerously incompetent and painfully inconsiderate."

The conflict began after Fani-Kayode made controversial comments that were considered to be inciteful. Llewellyn-Jones criticized the APC chief's remarks, calling them divisive and inappropriate and accusing him of hate speech against Igbo people in the country. Fani-Kayode responded by calling Llewellyn-Jones "bullish, uncouth, dangerously incompetent, and painfully inconsiderate."

Fani-Kayode has since warned the British envoy to remain a silent observer and keep away from Nigeria's politics. On Monday, he further criticized Llewellyn-Jones, calling him a "misguided, mischievous and clearly unlettered Englander" who is representing a kingdom that had committed "unspeakable atrocities" across the world for over a century and was trying to impose the ideology of same-gender marriage on the Nigerian nation.

"It is a sign of great disrespect to our country that a so-called diplomat that is as shallow, dim-witted, intellectually-stunted, partisan, unprofessional, partial, arrogant, forward, disrespectful and limited in his knowledge base as this can be sent here to represent the UK," the APC official said on Tuesday, adding that Nigeria deserves "far better."

The former Nigerian aviation minister continued his attack on Llewellyn-Jones, saying that he was better suited to work as an air host/hostess on British Airways, serving drinks and food to the passengers in the economy class of the long haul London/New York trans-Atlantic flight route, than working for the British High Commission in Nigeria.

Fani-Kayode further challenged Llewellyn-Jones to provide evidence of his so-called 'hate speech' against the Igbo people. He argued that his comments were simply a reflection of his belief that Nigeria deserved better leaders and that he was entitled to express his opinions.

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Referring to earlier remarks made by Fani-Kayode about the city of Lagos, the economic capital and the largest city in Nigeria, the official stressed that the city is not a "no man's land," asserting that individuals from other parts of Nigeria who choose to live in Lagos ought to respect the Yoruba, the indigenous ethnic group of the region.

To further his point, Fani-Kayode used the UK as an example, noting that Llewellyn-Jones' belief in a "globalist world" extends to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, where their respective capitals are no longer considered their territories but "no man's land."

"I guess in his little globalist world Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast (the capitals of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively) are no longer Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish cities and territories but are now ‘no man's land’ even in the era of devolution where each of those three ethnic nationalities take immense pride in their growing independence from the English and in their cultural and historical values and roots," he said.

Fani-Kayode further added that he believes saying that Edinburgh belongs to the Scots and is not "no man's land" is hate speech to the likes of the British diplomat. He continued, saying, "It is also hate speech to him to say that non-Scots that have chosen to live in Edinburgh should respect the Scots that have hosted them."

The Nigerian assumed that the same is applicable to Cardiff and Belfast.

"What type of man is this little Englander who sees hate in everyone and everything?" Fani-Kayode questioned. "What an inelegant and priceless fool he is."

He argued that being a proud Nigerian does not mean that "I have to turn my back on the fact that I am also a proud Yoruba man," adding that the two identities "are not mutually exclusive." Fani-Kayode concluded by calling on all his fellow Nigerians "who happen to be Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, Ijaw, Tiv, Itsekiri, Bini, Efik, Kanuri, Shuwa Arab or anything else" to be proud of their ethnic identities and being Nigerians at the same time.

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The former aviation minister stated that all Nigerians are equal, but at the same time, "all came from somewhere that existed for thousands of years long before Nigeria was established," adding that diversity is good for the nation and needs to be celebrated.

"Nothing wrong with being an ethnic nationalist and seeking to preserve your identity, land, culture, values and ways as a people whilst at the same time opening your doors to others from your nation and welcoming them with open arms," the APC official said. "There is a great difference between peaceful co-existence based on love and mutual respect for your fellow compatriots and a total and complete capitulation and rejection of who we are and where we are coming from as a people. We espouse the former and reject the latter."

Nigeria's Ruling APC Party Official Tells UK to Recall Its 'Shallow, Intellectually-Stunted' Envoy