Nigeria’s Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, on Thursday aborted his trip to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Samoa.
President Bola Tinubu has delegated Shettima to represent Nigeria at the meeting.
By Thursday night however, the presidency announced that Shettima’s trip had been cancelled, saying that a foreign object hit his private jet during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York.
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga who said a ministerial delegation will now represent Nigeria stated, “The foreign object damaged the cockpit windscreen of the plane.
“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 delegation, which will now represent Nigeria at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, is being led by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abass Lawal.
“The summit began on the Pacific island on 21 October. It will end on 26 October. Vice President Shettima and foreign minister Yusuf Tuggar have left New York for Nigeria.”