President Bola Tinubu has approved the redeployment of Femi Fani-Kayode as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to South Africa.
Fani-Kayode’s redeployment comes amid reports that the Germany government had rejected his earlier posting as Nigeria’s envoy. However, the former Aviation Minister denied the claims, stating that he personally requested a transfer from Germany to South Africa.
In a post shared on X, Fani-Kayode said he was pleased that President Tinubu approved his request for redeployment after he formally informed the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, that he was not comfortable with the Germany posting.
According to him, he preferred South Africa because he had spent most of his life in Europe and wanted to serve in a country he had never visited but had great interest in.
Fani-Kayode also stated that South Africa aligns more closely with his convictions, values, and pan-African vision on foreign affairs, adding that the country shares stronger ties with Nigeria and remains Africa’s biggest economy.
He explained that after presenting his reasons, Tuggar considered the request favourably and forwarded it to President Tinubu, who later approved the redeployment.
