President Bola Tinubu has assigned Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa. The meeting, scheduled to take place from October 21 to 26, will bring together world leaders from 56 member countries, including King Charles of England.
The theme of the meeting, “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth,” will focus on harnessing member countries’ strengths through resilience, unlocking potential, leveraging the “Commonwealth Advantage,” and fostering a connected, digital Commonwealth.
During the meeting, Nigeria and other member countries will also elect and appoint the next Commonwealth Secretary-General. The candidates for the role are from Lesotho, Ghana, and The Gambia, with Nigeria playing a significant role as the largest African member.
VP Shettima will participate in the Commonwealth Business Forum to attract investors to Nigeria and engage in bilateral meetings and executive sessions. He will also join the People’s Forum, organized by the Commonwealth Foundation, to discuss global development issues with leaders.
This trip marks Shettima’s 11th foreign destination and 12th trip abroad, having spent 56 days abroad and accumulated over 93 flight hours. His previous trips include visits to Rome, Italy; St. Petersburg, Russia; Johannesburg, South Africa; Havana, Cuba; Beijing, China; Iowa and New York in the United States of America; Davos, Switzerland; Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast (twice); Nairobi, Kenya; and Stockholm, Sweden.