Vice President Kashim Shettima’s scheduled trip to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) Summit in Samoa has been cancelled due to unexpected damage to his aircraft.
Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, announced that the vice president’s plane sustained damage to its cockpit windshield from a “foreign object” during a stopover at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
“President Tinubu, acting promptly, has approved a ministerial delegation to represent Nigeria at the summit in Apia, Samoa, while repairs to the aircraft are underway,” Onanuga said in a statement.
The delegation will be led by Environment Minister Balarabe Abass Lawal.
The vice president and Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar have since departed New York to return to Nigeria.
Initially, President Bola Tinubu had appointed Shettima to lead the Nigerian delegation at this year’s CHOGM, themed “Resilience: Unlocking Potential, Leveraging the Commonwealth Advantage, and Fostering a Connected, Digital Commonwealth.”
Shettima was set to participate in the People’s Forum, hold discussions with global leaders on key development issues, and attend bilateral and executive meetings. The summit, which commenced on October 21, is scheduled to conclude on October 26.
