VP Kashim Shettima Abandons Samoa Trip After ‘Foreign Object’ Damaged His Plane

Vice President Kashim Shettima has halted his journey to Samoa for the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit.

President Tinubu had appointed Shettima to represent Nigeria at the event, but the trip was canceled when a foreign object struck his plane’s cockpit windscreen during a layover at JFK Airport in New York, according to a statement from the Presidency on October 24.

The announcement, issued by Tinubu’s media advisor, Bayo Onanuga, explained that the plane sustained damage.

Onanuga said, “Vice President Kashim Shettima’s trip to Samoa to represent Nigeria at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads Of Government Summit has been cancelled after a foreign object hit his plane during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York. 

“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 in Samoa, is being led by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal.”

The summit, held in Apia, Samoa, began on October 21 and will conclude on October 26.

KanyiDaily recalls that Kashim Shettima represented President Bola Tinubu at the G77+China leaders’ summit in Havana, Cuba.