President Tinubu has approved the redeployment of Fani-Kayode from Germany to South Africa.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved his appointment as Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa.
Fani-Kayode disclosed this in a post shared on his X handle on Thursday, revealing that his earlier posting to Germany was changed after he formally requested a redeployment.
According to him, he wrote to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressing discomfort with serving in Germany due to personal reasons and instead requested to be posted to South Africa, a country he said he had long admired and wished to serve in.
He explained that the request was considered and approved by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, who subsequently forwarded it to President Tinubu for final approval.
“It gives me pleasure to announce the fact that Mr. President has graciously approved my posting as Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa,” he stated.
Fani-Kayode further noted that he preferred South Africa because of its strong economic position on the African continent, its closer diplomatic ties with Nigeria, and what he described as a shared pan-African outlook on global affairs.
He also disclosed that the redeployment involved a swap arrangement with Senator Sam Enang, who was initially posted to South Africa but later opted for Germany.
The former minister dismissed reports claiming that Germany rejected his appointment, describing the reports as false, malicious, and aimed at embarrassing both him and the Federal Government.
According to him, no formal rejection was ever communicated by German authorities, adding that he has instructed his legal team to take action against the publication responsible for the report.
He also disclosed that the matter had been reported to relevant security agencies while urging media organisations to verify sensitive diplomatic information before publication.
Fani-Kayode expressed appreciation to President Tinubu and the Minister of Foreign Affairs for approving his redeployment, stating that he looks forward to representing Nigeria in South Africa.
