A Celebratory 65th for Nigeria… In NYC

The pride and joy of the giant of Africa, Nigeria, was on full display on one of the world’s biggest stage yesterday at Madison Avenue in New York City. In celebration of the Nation’s 65th anniversary of Independence of a narrow escape from the jaws of apartheid, considering lucrative natural resources were discovered just a few years after gaining independence from the United Kingdom. Nigerians in disaspora dressed in some of their fineries, some of which are family heirlooms passed down generations from their ancestors, proudly marched down Madison Avenue full of pride. United Nations high officials, such as Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, blessed the auspicious occasion with her presence. She had been in attendance the previous evening at the sumptuous gala and award ceremony event at the Nigerian Consulate, hosted by Ambassador Abubakar Jidda along with the Organization for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN) committee, a long standing group that has been organizing the parade and related events for well over 3 decades in the United States. One of the Grand Marshalls included Dr. Wendy Osefo, a Nigerian-American political commentator, public affairs academic, and a cast member of a reality show, The Real Housewives of Potomac.

Concluding the parade at Madison Square Park, world renowned Afrobeat superstar Bella Shmurda performed some of his chart topping hits. Suffice to say, the attendance wasn’t as robust as the previous year. With the ongoing ICE raids at public gatherings of immigrants currently under President Trump’s administration, many chose to stay home, in addition to many job losses at several government positions such as USAIDS et al. Nevertheless, the show must go on, and that it did, complete with jollof and fufu!

Click here to watch the event’s video posted on instagram.

See you all next year, God willing. 💋🥂✌🏼🇳🇬

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