Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved his redeployment as Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa following his earlier posting to Germany.
In a statement released on Friday, Fani-Kayode disclosed that he personally requested a change in posting shortly after the initial diplomatic appointments were announced. According to him, he formally appealed to the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, expressing discomfort with the Germany posting due to personal reasons and his long stay in Europe.
He explained that he preferred South Africa because of his interest in the country, its economic influence on the African continent, and what he described as its alignment with his pan-African foreign policy ideals and political convictions.
Fani-Kayode said the former Foreign Affairs Minister favourably considered his request before forwarding it to President Tinubu, who subsequently approved the redeployment.
The former minister also appreciated Senator Sam Enang, who was initially posted to South Africa, for agreeing to a “straight swap” that allowed him to take up the South African assignment while Enang moved to Germany.
Addressing recent media reports, Fani-Kayode dismissed claims that Germany rejected his appointment as “false, malicious and fabricated.” He accused an unnamed online publication of spreading misinformation intended to damage his reputation and embarrass the Federal Government.
According to him, the controversial report falsely alleged that Germany declined to accept him as Nigeria’s envoy and presented what he described as “outlandish” reasons for the purported rejection.
Fani-Kayode maintained that no formal rejection was ever issued by the German government and challenged those behind the report to provide documentary evidence to support their claims.
He further revealed that petitions have been submitted to relevant security agencies over the publication, while his legal team has been instructed to commence a civil action for defamation against those responsible.
The ambassador-designate stated that the misunderstanding stemmed from the leaking of diplomatic correspondence sent to South Africa on March 13, which he said was maliciously interpreted as evidence of a rejection by Germany.
He urged media organisations to exercise greater professionalism and caution in reporting sensitive diplomatic matters.
Fani-Kayode concluded by expressing optimism about serving Nigeria in South Africa, describing the country as a nation he admires for its “remarkable and inspiring history.”
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