A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has confirmed his reassignment as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to South Africa.
Fani-Kayode announced his new post on Thursday, May 7, noting that President Bola Tinubu had approved the shuffle.
He was initially posted to Germany.
Fani-Kayode said he had made a formal request to Yusuf Tuggar, then-minister of foreign affairs, informing him of his discomfort with his Germany posting.
“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.”
Ita Enang, a senator, who was posted to South Africa, will now serve as Germany’s ambassador-designate in Fani-Kayode’s place.
Tinubu approved the posting of over 60 ambassadors on March 6, with Fani-Kayode posted to Germany.
Shortly after, reports surfaced alleging that the German government rejected Fani-Kayode as an envoy.
According to the reports, the German government said it rejected Fani-Kayode’s nomination due to his “erratic behaviour, controversial past statements, particularly his divisive ethnocentric, tribalistic, and religious fundamentalist comments in Nigeria”, which the European country said was “destabilising”.
However, in the statement announcing his reassignment to South Africa, Fani-Kayode rubbished the reports.
“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 said the reports surfaced on the same day an “agreement” was sent to South Africa by the ministry of foreign affairs, which was leaked to the media house and was “maliciously” reported.