The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has dismissed reports alleging that Femi Fani-Kayode was rejected by Germany as Nigeria’s ambassador, insisting instead that the former minister personally requested redeployment to South Africa.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Executive Director of MURIC, Ishaq Akintola, the group described media reports suggesting Germany rejected Fani-Kayode as “fabricated” and misleading.
According to the group, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had appointed ambassadors to several countries following Senate confirmation in December 2025, with Fani-Kayode initially posted to Germany before his redeployment to South Africa.
MURIC maintained that the redeployment was initiated by Fani-Kayode himself and not due to any diplomatic rejection by Germany.
The organization faulted an online publication for reporting that Germany rejected the appointment over alleged ethnic and religious remarks, stressing that “nothing could be more misleading.”
Quoting Fani-Kayode, MURIC said the former Aviation Minister voluntarily chose South Africa because of his Pan-African convictions and preference to serve in a country that aligns with some of his views on global affairs.
The group further described Fani-Kayode as “one of the few liberal Christians in Nigeria,” noting that many Nigerian Muslims would be willing to support him for higher leadership roles due to what it called his commitment to religious pluralism and national unity.
MURIC also commended President Tinubu for approving the reassignment request, saying the president acted graciously in redeploying Fani-Kayode to South Africa.
