The precise nature of the ‘foreign object’ that damaged Shettima’s aircraft remains unclear, and repairs on the plane have reportedly begun.
Olayomi Koiki
Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima will miss the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit (CHOGM) in Samoa after an unexpected incident grounded his aircraft in New York, United States.
During a scheduled stopover at JFK Airport en route to Samoa, Shettima’s plane was struck by what an official called ‘foreign object’, causing significant damage to the cockpit windscreen.
“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,” Presidential Media Aide Bayo Onanuga said on Thursday.
In response, President Bola Tinubu swiftly approved a ministerial delegation to represent Nigeria at the summit in Apia, the capital of Samoa.
Led by Minister of Environment Balarabe Abass Lawal, the delegation will now fulfil Nigeria’s diplomatic obligations at the summit, which will run from 21 to 26 October.
The precise nature of the ‘foreign object’ that damaged Shettima’s aircraft remains unclear, and repairs on the plane have reportedly begun.
Vice President Shettima and Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar have since returned from New York to Nigeria.
The airport could not be reached for comment.