In just less than a day after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Rex Tillerson has been fired as the U.S. Secretary of State.
President Donald Trump fired him on Tuesday following his return to the United States.
“Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State,” the U.S. President announced on Twitter. He will do a fantastic job!
“Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!”
Mr. Tillerson was in Nigeria as part of his first official visit to Africa.
During the visit, he spoke about the U.S. assistance to Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram and the possibility of Nigeria securing loans from the U.S.
Reports in the U.S. media say Mr. Tillerson and Mr. Trump have had a bumpy relationship to the extent that the American President agreed to meet with North Korean leader without the knowledge of his administration’s chief diplomat.
Mr. Trump later addressed journalists on Tuesday saying he made the decision to sack Mr. Tillerson alone.
He, however, said he and Mr. Tillerson shared different views on some key global issues such as the Iran nuclear deal.
Mr. Trump wants to cancel the Iran deal which saw Iran abandon its nuclear ambition so as to get several sanctions lifted. Other partners to deal, such as the EU, however, want the Iran deal to remain.
