Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who was scheduled to represent President Bola Tinubu at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, Texas, has cancelled the trip following a technical fault with his aircraft.
Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of The Vice-President, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, in Abuja.
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Nkwocha said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, will represent the President at the summit, as Shettima could not make the trip.
The cancellation of the trip by the Vice president is coming just as his Principal, President Bola Tinubu, is yet to return to the country, 14 days after an official visit to the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, where he attended the World Economic Forum (WEF). President Tinubu departed Nigeria on Tuesday, April 23, for the Netherlands and, afterwards, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, had, in a statement, said the visit was at the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The WEF forum, which aimed to help public and private sector leaders address shared global challenges, ended on Monday, April 29, 2024.
As concerns heightened over President Bola Tinubu’s whereabouts, Nkwocha insisted that a technical fault forced the Vice President to make a detour on the advice of the Presidential Air Fleet.
According to Nkwocha, the Vice President will carry on with other national duties.
The high-profile summit, which will be held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre, will bring together political and business leaders from across Africa, the United States, and other regions. The summit would feature high-level dialogues, networking sessions, and plenaries.
Organised by the Corporate Council on Africa, African leaders expected at the summit include the President, Republic of Liberia; Joseph Boakai, President, Republic of Malawi; Lazarus Chakwera; and the President, Republic of Angola, Joao Lourenço.
Nkwocha said other African leaders that would grace the summit are the President, Republic of Botswana, Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi, President, Republic of Cabo Verde, José Maria Neves, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Kingdom of Lesotho, Nthomeng Majara.