Vice-President Kashim Shettima has cancelled his trip to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa following an incident involving his plane.
President Bola Tinubu had appointed Vice President Shettima to represent Nigeria at the high-profile meeting. However, on Thursday night, the presidency announced that Shettima’s trip was halted after a foreign object struck his aircraft during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York.
“The foreign object caused damage to the plane’s cockpit windscreen,” presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga explained. “In response, President Tinubu promptly approved a ministerial delegation to attend the summit on behalf of Nigeria, as the necessary repairs are underway.”
The Nigerian delegation will now be led by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abass Lawal. The CHOGM summit, taking place in Apia, Samoa, began on October 21 and will conclude on October 26. Vice President Shettima, along with Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar, has since returned to Nigeria.
