Former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode has explained why he rejected his initial posting as ambassador to Germany, opting instead for South Africa. He cited his preference to serve in Africa and his deep interest in African affairs. Fani-Kayode also debunked reports that Germany rejected him due to his past comments.
Former Minister of Aviation and Ambassador-Designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has said that his decision to seek redeployment from Germany to South Africa was driven by his preference to serve in Africa rather than Europe. Fani-Kayode, in a statement yesterday, in Abuja, said although he was initially posted to Germany, he formally requested a transfer to South Africa because of his deep interest in African affairs, Pan-African cooperation and Nigeria’s relationship with other African nations. According to him, having spent most of his life in Europe, he considered it more fulfilling to serve in an African country that shares closer ties and similar perspectives with Nigeria on international affairs. “It gives me pleasure to announce the fact that the 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.” “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,” he said. The former minister, who stated that South Africa’s strategic position in Africa and its relationship with Nigeria also informed his decision, further said: “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.” Fani-Kayode disclosed that he submitted his redeployment request two days after the initial diplomatic posting announcement and commended former Tuggar for considering the request favourably before forwarding it to President Bola Tinubu for approval. He expressed appreciation to Senator Sam Enang, who agreed to a redeployment arrangement that led to his posting to South Africa instead. The ambassador-designate, however, criticised misleading reports surrounding the redeployment, urging sections of the media to exercise professionalism and accuracy in their reportage. Meanwhile, Ita Enang, a senator who was originally posted to South Africa, will now serve as Germany’s ambassador-designate in Fani-Kayode’s stead. It would be recalled that on March 6, 2026, Tinubu approved the posting of over 60 ambassadors, including Fani-Kayode, assigning them to their respective host countries. A week after the postings, reports surfaced alleging that Germany 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.” The former minister’s alleged rejection came days after he was said to have traded words with the United Kingdom’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, during a Ramadan dinner hosted by Bashir Lado, the President’s Special Adviser on Senate Matters, at his Abuja residence. But in the statement announcing his re-designation to South Africa, Fani-Kayode debunked the reports, saying: “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 sensationalism, lies and blackmail,” he said. Fani-Kayode said he had directed his legal team to file a civil defamation suit against the newspaper.
