Vice President Kashim Shettima‘s scheduled trip to Samoa for the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit has been canceled after a foreign object struck his plane during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York, damaging the cockpit windscreen.
In a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, it was confirmed that President Bola Tinubu acted swiftly by approving a ministerial delegation to represent Nigeria at the summit in Apia, Samoa, while repairs on the damaged plane are underway.
The newly appointed delegation will be led by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abass Lawal. The summit commenced on October 21 and is set to conclude on October 26.
Both Vice President Shettima and Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar have since returned to Nigeria following the incident.