Faulty aircraft forces Shettima to abandon US trip | Tuggar to replace him

Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, will now represent President Bola Tinubu at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, Texas.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima was initially billed to represent Tinubu at the summit holding at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.

In a statement, Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media and communications, said Shettima, who has since returned to Nigeria, was unable to make the trip “following a technical fault with his aircraft”.

“Vice President Kashim Shettima who was originally scheduled to represent the President was unable to make the trip following a technical fault with his aircraft, forcing him to make a detour on the advice of the Presidential Air Fleet,” the statement reads in part.

Nkwocha said Shettima “will carry on with other national duties”.

“The high-profile summit, taking place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, will bring together political and business leaders from across Africa, the United States, and other regions. It features high-level dialogues, networking sessions, and plenaries,” the statement said.

Other African leaders expected at the summit include President Joseph Boakai of Liberia; Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi; Joao Lourenço of Angola; Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi of the Republic of Botswana; José Maria Neves of Cabo Verde; and Nthomeng Majara, deputy prime minister of the kingdom of Lesotho.