Vice President Kashim Shettima canceled his trip to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Samoa after an unexpected incident involving his plane.
President Bola Tinubu had previously assigned Shettima to represent Nigeria at the summit. However, on Thursday night, the presidency announced that Shettima’s travel plans were halted due to a foreign object striking his aircraft during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga provided details, saying, “The foreign object damaged the cockpit windscreen of the plane.”
He added, “President Tinubu, acting promptly, has approved a ministerial delegation to represent Nigeria at the summit in the Samoa capital of Apia while the plane’s repair has commenced.”
The newly designated delegation, led by Minister of Environment Balarabe Abass Lawal, will represent Nigeria at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, which began on October 21 and will conclude on October 26.
Onanuga confirmed that Vice President Shettima and Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar had departed from New York and are en route back to Nigeria.
