On 11 February 2019, he became the newly appointed Speaker of the Fijian Parliament, winning 30 votes against 21 to Opposition nominee and Suva lawyer, Tanya Waqanika.

While visiting Australia, he was deposed from this position, however, when the third-ranked officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka staged the first of two coups and seized power.

He was later appointed Fiji's roving ambassador and high commissioner to the member states of the South Pacific Forum, before taking up a post as Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Trade in 1999.

[10] He was nominated to become the new vice-president by the Fiji president Ratu Josefa Iloilo on 10 April 2007,[11] but was rejected by the GCC.

According to Bainimarama, he "decided to give him this new responsibility given his extensive knowledge and hands-on experience on the workings of the Civil Service, Governments role in rural development and the sources of assistances available to facilitate such development", while also stating that Nailatikau had "excellent public relations appeal, which is very much needed in outreaching and inter-facing with rural people.

According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, he was chosen because his political position, his respect throughout the Pacific region, and his outspokenness on AIDS-related issues.

On 22 November 2005, he called on people to recognise the reality that promiscuity existed, and that safe sex needed to be promoted to combat the associated AIDS risk.

He also called on churches to face the reality that promiscuity existed among their own congregations, and to meet the problem "head on" and play a part in promoting the use of condoms.

He is the second son of Ratu Edward Cakobau, who commanded the Fijian Battalion in World War II.

They have two children: a son, Kamisese Vuna (named after Adi Koila's father), and a daughter, Litia Cakobau.