Breaking: Presidential aircraft’s technical fault forces VP Shettima to abort U.S. trip – spokesman 

A technical fault in the presidential aircraft forced Vice President Kashim Shettima to make a detour on Monday, canceling his scheduled trip to the United States of America.

Shettima was due to represent President Bola Tinubu at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, Texas, according to Persecondnews.

“The Vice President, as 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 Presidency said in a statement signed on Monday evening by Shettima’s spokesman, Mr. Stanley Nkwocha.

However, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, will now represent President Tinubu at the US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, Texas, not Vice President Kashim Shettima, as announced earlier.

The statement is titled ‘Minister of Foreign Affairs To Now Represent President Tinubu at US-Africa Summit.’

Nkwocha said the Vice President, who has since returned to Abuja, “will carry on with other national duties.”

The high-profile summit, taking place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre, will bring together political and business leaders from across Africa, the United States, and other regions.

Hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa, it features high-level dialogues, networking sessions, and plenaries.

African leaders expected at the summit are Presidents Joseph Boakai of Liberia, Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi, Joao Lourenço Angola, Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi of the Republic of Botswana, José Maria Neves of Cabo Verde, and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Nthomeng Majara.

The US-Africa Business Summit aims to foster economic cooperation and explore investment opportunities between the United States and African countries.

Besides the summit plenary, the Foreign Minister is expected to speak at the Roundtable on African Infrastructure Investment with a focus on impact and returns.

He will also address the transition “from food insecurity to thriving agribusinesses” on a high-level agribusiness panel.

Additionally, Tuggar will chair a session promoting the ‘invest in Nigeria’ initiative and speak at a plenary session on Navigating Africa’s Energy Future.

He is also expected to attend other meetings and engagements on the sidelines of the summit, the statement read.

After his engagements in the US, Tuggar should return to the country.