Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, will now represent President Bola Tinubu at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, Texas in the United States.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima was initially billed to represent Tinubu at the summit holding at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
In a statement, Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media and communications, said Shettima, who has since returned to Nigeria, 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”.
“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,” the statement reads.
Nkwocha said Shetitma “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,” the statement reads.
According to the statement, the foreign affairs minister is expected to speak at the roundtable on African infrastructure investment with a focus on impact and returns.
The minister is also scheduled to speak on a high-level panel on agribusiness, focusing on transiting “from food insecurity to thriving agribusinesses”.
Tuggar will also speak at a plenary session on Navigating Africa’s Energy Future, as well as chair a session dedicated to promoting the “Invest in Nigeria’ Initiative”.
The minister will also attend other meetings and engagements on the sideline of the summit.
The minister is expected back in the country at the end of his engagements in the US
