Vice President Kashim Shettima will no longer represent Nigeria at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa due to an incident involving his aircraft.
The Presidency announced on Thursday night that Shettima’s trip was canceled after a foreign object struck the plane’s cockpit windscreen during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York.
According to a statement by President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, a ministerial delegation led by Environment Minister Balarabe Lawal will now represent Nigeria at the summit.
The statement, titled “Cockpit Windscreen of VP Shettima’s Plane Damaged at JFK Airport, Ministerial Delegation to Represent Nigeria at Samoa Commonwealth Summit,” detailed the sequence of events.
“Vice President Kashim Shettima’s trip to Samoa to represent Nigeria at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit has been canceled after a foreign object hit his plane during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York,” Onanuga said.
“The foreign object damaged the cockpit windscreen of the plane.”
The summit, held from October 21 to 26 in Apia, Samoa, focuses on how member states can build resilience, unlock potential, and leverage the Commonwealth’s shared advantages in a connected, digital world.
The event also includes the election of the next Commonwealth Secretary-General.
While Shettima’s plane undergoes repairs, the ministerial team will represent Nigeria in discussions with other global leaders, including King Charles III, from the 56 Commonwealth nations.
“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 statement added.
This is not the first time Shettima has had to cancel an international trip due to aircraft issues. In May, he abandoned a planned visit to the U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, Texas, after a technical issue forced his plane to return midflight.
Before this incident, Shettima had undertaken official trips to several countries, including Rome, Italy; St. Petersburg, Russia; Johannesburg, South Africa; Havana, Cuba; and Beijing, China.
