President Donald Trump has sacked Rex Tillerson as the Secretary of State, this is following a series of disagreements with the President.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo has been selected replace the former Exxon Mobil chief executive. Gina Haspel has been appointed as deputy CIA Director to head the spy agency.
Tillerson just recently visited Nigeria on Monday, March 12, as part of the last leg of his official visits to Africa. This visit made him t first high-ranking official under the Trump administration to do so.
He met with President Muhammadu Buhari during the trip and discussed issues of mutual interest to both countries.
The ex-Secretary of State also warned Nigeria other African countries about the risk of seeking financial help from China.
Trump announced Tillerson’s sacking via his verified Twitter handle:
Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. 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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018
As reported by the CNBC, since Tillerson took the post in February 2017, mixed messages repeatedly came out of the White House and a State Department with diminishing relevance. The intramural clashes between the president and secretary of State came amid major international crises, including a potential nuclear showdown with North Korea.