Shettima departs Abuja to represent Tinubu at G20 summit

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Friday departed Abuja to represent President Bola Tinubu at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Recall that President Tinubu had on Wednesday announced that he was staying back in Nigeria to attend to security concerns following the killing of Uba Musa, a Brigadier General of the Nigerian Army and the abduction of 24 schoolgirls in Manga Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

The recent security developments prompted the postponement of his earlier scheduled trip to Johannesburg, as he awaited further security briefings on incidents in Kebbi and Kwara States.

Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Information and Communication (Office of the Vice President), said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who currently chairs the G20, had invited President Tinubu to participate in this year’s summit.

The summit, scheduled for Saturday, November 22 to Sunday, November 23 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, brings together leaders of the world’s top 20 economies, including the European Union, the African Union, and global financial institutions.

The Vice President was also in Brazil recently to represent President Tinubu at the just-concluded Conference of Parties (COP) on climate change.

Shettima is expected to return to Nigeria at the end of the summit.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu has continued to monitor developments in the security sector and has directed Bello Matawalle, Minister of State for Defence, to relocate to Kebbi State.