Yusuf Tuggar, the 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 scheduled to represent Tinubu at the summit, which would take place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre in Dallas.
In a statement, Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media and communications, claimed Shettima, who has since returned to Nigeria, was unable to make the journey due to a technical problem with his aircraft.
The statement reads:
“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.”
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.”
Other African leaders scheduled for the conference include Liberian President Joseph Boakai, Malawi’s Lazarus Chakwera, Angola’s Joao Lourenço, Botswana’s Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi, Cabo Verde’s José Maria Neves, and Lesotho’s deputy prime minister, Nthomeng Majara.