Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has been reassigned as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to South Africaafter initially being posted to Germany.
Fani-Kayode announced the development on Thursday, revealing that President Bola Tinubu approved the redeployment following his request for a change in posting.
According to the former minister, he had earlier informed the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, that he was not comfortable with the Germany assignment due to personal reasons.
“I was not comfortable with Germany for a number of personal reasons and given the fact that I had lived in Europe most of my life I would prefer to go to South Africa which is a country that I had never been to and for which I have so much interest,” Fani-Kayode said.
“I also expressed the fact that I would rather serve in a country that shares some of my convictions, beilefs and values when it comes to world affairs, that has the biggest economy in Africa, that has closer ties to Nigeria and that is more proximate to my political thinking when it comes to foreign affairs and a pan African vision.
“I therefore made an application for a redeployment to South Africa two days after the initial announcement was made and I am pleased to say that after the then Foreign Minister (H.E. Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar) heard my reasons he considered them favourably after which he conveyed the request to Mr. President who graciously approved it.
“I will be eternally grateful to Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this favourable consideration.”
Following the reshuffle, Ita Enang, who was originally assigned to South Africa, will now serve as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Germany.
Fani-Kayode Denies Germany Rejection Claims
On March 6, President Tinubu approved the appointment and deployment of more than 60 ambassadors, including Fani-Kayode, to various countries.
However, reports later emerged claiming that the German government had rejected Fani-Kayode’s nomination over alleged concerns relating to his past public comments and conduct.
The reports surfaced shortly after he was reportedly involved in a disagreement with Richard Montgomery during a Ramadan dinner hosted by Bashir Lado in Abuja.
Reacting to the reports, Fani-Kayode dismissed the claims and insisted Germany never officially rejected him.
“I take this opportunity to once again confirm that this was my choice and that Germany NEVER formally rejected me, which was a fake report that was published in an irresponsible online magazine that thrives on sensationslism, lies and blackmail,” he said.
“Their story was not only irresponsible and insulting but was also a total and complete fabrication based on hearsay, beer parlour talk and cheap gossip and designed to embarass my goodself, the Federal Government and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Worse still they listed a number of clearly outlandish and absurd reasons for this purported and fake ‘rejection’ which they patched together and concocted reflecting the malevolent condition of their perverse imagination.”
Fani-Kayode further claimed that the reports emerged the same day the Ministry of Foreign Affairs forwarded documentation relating to his South Africa redeployment, which he alleged was leaked and “maliciously” misrepresented in the media.
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