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Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has announced that President Bola Tinubu has approved his appointment as Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa.
Fani-Kayode revealed this in a post on his X account on Thursday, noting that his first posting to Germany was reviewed after he requested redeployment.
It gives me pleasure to announce the fact that Mr. President has graciously approved my posting as Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa.
This came a few days after the initial posting to Germany was announced and after I made a formal representation to the then… pic.twitter.com/uQFTMf4vW4
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) May 7, 2026
According to him, he had formally written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to express his reservations about serving in Germany and instead requested to be posted to South Africa.
He said that his request was considered and approved by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, who conveyed it to Tinubu for final approval.
He said, “It gives me pleasure to announce the fact that Mr President has graciously approved my posting as Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa.
“This came a few days after the initial posting to Germany was announced and after I made a formal representation to the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, that 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.
“I also expressed the fact that I would rather serve in a country that shares some of my convictions, beliefs, 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.”
The former aviation minister disclosed that the adjustment involved a swap arrangement with Senator Sam Enang, who was initially posted to South Africa but opted to serve in Germany.
Fani-Kayode dismissed reports suggesting that Germany had rejected his appointment; he described such claims as false and malicious. He said the reports were falsified to damage his reputation and embarrass the Nigerian Government.
He added that he had instructed his lawyers to pursue legal action against the publication responsible for the report and to report the matter to the relevant security agencies. He further urged the media to verify information before publication, insisting that no formal rejection came from Germany.
The former minister appreciated Tinubu and the Foreign Affairs Minister for approving his redeployment, saying he looks forward to serving Nigeria in South Africa.
