Nigeria’s VP, Shettima cancels trip to Samoa after ‘foreign object’ hits aircraft

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Nigeria’s VP, Shettima cancels trip to Samoa after ‘foreign object’ hits aircraft

Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima has cancelled his scheduled trip to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads Of Government Summit in Samoa.

In a statement on Thursday night, the Presidency revealed that “a foreign object hit his plane during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York”.

Nigeria’s delegation will now be led by the Environment Minister, Balarabe Lawal.

The statement was signed by Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.

Shettima left Abuja on Sunday for the gathering, where he was to represent President Bola Tinubu.

“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 statement read.

The summit will begin October 21 and ends on October 26.