Vice President Kashim Shettima’s planned trip to Samoa for the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) has been canceled following damage to his aircraft.

The plane sustained damage to the cockpit windscreen after being struck by a foreign object during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York.

In a statement issued by Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, it was confirmed that the aircraft is currently undergoing repairs. In light of the situation, President Bola Tinubu approved a ministerial delegation to represent Nigeria at the summit, held in Apia, the capital of Samoa.

The delegation, led by Minister of Environment Balarabe Abass Lawal, will attend the summit, which began on October 21 and will conclude on October 26.

Meanwhile, Vice President Shettima and Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar have returned to Nigeria from New York.