Former Nigerian Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode criticised Ben Llewellyn-Jones, the British Deputy High Commissioner, for his implied threat to impose a visa block.
This is because he also stated that he would not accept instructions from a “British civil servant” regarding how he should speak or handle matters relating to Nigeria in Nigeria.
In an interview with Nigeria Info FM on Sunday, the UK envoy disclosed that 10 people were on its watchlist for visa bans.
He asserted that those on the list were those who purportedly threatened Nigeria’s democracy.
He also criticised Fani-Kayode, the director of new media for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, for some recent remarks he made.
Fani-Kayode responded to Llewellyn-Jones’ comments by declaring he would not accept instruction on decency from a foreigner.
The former minister wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday that Nigeria had finished being a British colony 63 years prior and didn’t require his advice on how to manage its affairs or conduct its politics.
“Who the hell does he think he is? I do not belong to the group of Nigerians that kowtow, shiver, tremble, or quake before the British or any other foreigner.
And unlike most people, I don’t need his approval or support, nor can I be scared by his subliminal threat of a visa restriction. Actually, I don’t give a damn.
“We also won’t take any advice from a British public worker on decency, decorum, what to say, or how to speak. When it comes to the politics of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I counsel this Englishman to respect himself and keep quiet. We became a nation 63 years ago, and we are not the British’s poodle.