Vice-President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to represent President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration and naming of a $315 million dollars oil production and storage facility.
The facility, fully owned by Nigerian company Oriental Energy Limited, is set to be inaugurated on Saturday, December 14, 2024.
In a statement from his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, it was revealed that after the Dubai event, Vice President Shettima will travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the Lesser Hajj (Umrah) in the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah from December 16 to 19, 2024.
On December 20, 2024, Shettima is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with the President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) in Jeddah. The discussions will focus on co-financing for the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ Phase II) and improving coordination of IsDB projects in Nigeria to support the nation’s agricultural and economic growth.
The Vice President is expected to return to Nigeria on or before December 21, 2024.
Earlier on Friday, Vice President Shettima attended the wedding Fatiha of Ibrahim Bagudu, the son of Nigeria’s Honourable Minister for Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu. The ceremony took place at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna, where Shettima was received by Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani.
Before the wedding, the Vice President participated in the Friday Juma’at prayers at the Sultan Bello Mosque, accompanied by Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule; Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum; and the Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Aliyu Umar.
Other notable dignitaries in attendance included Governors Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Muhammadu Yahaya (Gombe), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), and Ahmad Aliyu (Sokoto), as well as Senators Alhaji Abdul Aziz Yari (Zamfara West) and Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau South). Also present were Minister of Information Mohammed Idris, Minister of Finance Wale Edun, Minister of State for Defence Dr. Bello Matawalle, and President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, among other distinguished guests.