Vice President Kashim Shettima will no longer represent Nigeria at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Samoa due to damage sustained to his aircraft.
The trip was called off after a foreign object struck the plane during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York, according to a statement from the Presidency released on Thursday night.
In light of this development, a delegation led by Minister of Environment Balarabe Lawal will now represent Nigeria at the biennial event. The statement, issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, detailed the incident, noting that the object damaged the cockpit windscreen of Shettima’s plane.
“Shettima departed Abuja on Sunday for the summit at the invitation of President Bola Tinubu,” Onanuga explained. “Following the incident, President Tinubu has promptly approved a ministerial delegation to represent Nigeria while repairs on the aircraft commence.”
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which began on October 21 and runs until October 26 on the Pacific island of Samoa, is expected to gather leaders from 56 member countries, including King Charles of England. The summit will focus on themes of resilience, unlocking potential, and leveraging the ‘Commonwealth Advantage’ to foster a connected, digital Commonwealth.
During the meeting, member countries will also elect the next Commonwealth Secretary-General. The overarching theme is “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth.”
Onanuga confirmed that Vice President Shettima and Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar have since returned to Nigeria. This cancellation marks the second trip Shettima has had to abandon mid-flight; in May, he was forced to turn back from a scheduled appearance at the US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas due to a technical issue with his aircraft. The Presidency stated that Shettima acted on the advice of the Presidential Air Fleet to cancel that trip as well.
