Nigeria's VP Shettima Abruptly Aborts Samoa Trip After Aircraft Was Struck by 'Foreign Object'

Nigeria's Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has canceled his planned trip to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Samoa due to an incident involving his aircraft.

The cancellation was announced following a statement from the Presidency on Thursday night, which detailed that "a foreign object hit his plane during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York." This impact resulted in damage to the cockpit windscreen, necessitating immediate repairs.

In response to this unforeseen event, President Bola Tinubu swiftly approved a ministerial delegation to represent Nigeria at the summit, which is being held in Apia, the capital of Samoa. The delegation will now be led by Environment Minister Balarabe Lawal.

Vice President Shettima had initially departed from Abuja on Sunday to attend the gathering on behalf of President Tinubu. The summit commenced on October 21 and is scheduled to conclude on October 26.

The statement regarding the incident was signed by Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, highlighting the prompt actions taken by the Nigerian government to ensure continued representation at the international event despite the setback.