Photo caption: President Bola Tinubu. Photo credit: State House
Vice President Kashim Shettima on Friday departed Abuja to represent President Bola Tinubu at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg after the President cancelled his planned trips to South Africa and Angola.
Senior Presidency officials familiar with the development had told PUNCH Online that the Vice President was already airborne to South Africa and would proceed to Angola afterwards to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the AU–EU Summit.
A statement signed Friday afternoon by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media & Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, confirmed the developments.
The statement is titled ‘VP Shettima Departs Abuja To Represent President Tinubu At G20 Leaders’ Summit In South Africa.’
It read in part, “Following the decision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to stay back in Nigeria and attend to security concerns in the country, Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja to represent the President at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
“President Tinubu had postponed his earlier scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, to await further security briefings on the recent security incidents in Kebbi and Kwara States.”
Officials who confirmed the developments to our correspondent said the directive came on Friday afternoon.
“It is a recent arrangement. They just finalised it this afternoon,” one source confirmed.
“The trip was postponed before. But looking at the situation of things, it is better he remains in the country to deal with the issues,” another official stated.
Shettima is scheduled to proceed to Angola afterwards for the AU–EU Summit.
Friday’s decision follows a spate of security incidents at home, including the abduction of schoolgirls in Maga, Kebbi State, the attack and abductions at a church in Eruku, Kwara State, and the kidnapping of several schoolchildren at St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in Papiri community, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, on Friday morning.
The President will remain in Abuja to receive situation reports from security chiefs and direct ongoing operations.
Tinubu had tasked security agencies to intensify search-and-rescue efforts and tighten preventive deployments in the affected areas. On Thursday night, he directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State to coordinate security operations for the rescue of the schoolgirls.
Scheduled to take place from Saturday, November 22, to Sunday, November 23, at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, the G20 Summit brings together leaders from the world’s top 20 economies, including the European Union, the African Union, and financial institutions, among others.
The Vice President will return to Nigeria at the end of the engagements.
