By Emmanuel Nduka
Former Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, has been sworn in as the New York’s second black Mayor.
Adams who was sworn in at Times Square, New York, on Saturday following the New Year’s Eve ball drop, is now New York City’s 110th Mayor.
He was sworn into office on a family bible held by his son, Jordan Coleman, just minutes after midnight by Hon. Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix, an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
“I, Eric Adams, do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States, the constitution of the State of New York and the charter of the City of New York.
“I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of the mayor of the City of New York to the best of my abilities, so help me God,” he swore.
The 61-year-old Democrat, who spent 22 years in the New York City Police Department (NYPD), succeeds outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio.
At the crowded June 2021 Democratic Primary, Adams took a narrow victory, then won the general election in November by a wide margin against Republican’s Curtis Sliwa.
Adams will face a first task as Mayor of helping New Yorkers navigate the Omicron variant and a troubling spike in cases.
The city has recorded over 40,000 cases per day in recent days, and the number of hospitalisations is growing, while its testing system has struggled to meet demand and long lines form outside testing sites.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian Community under the aegis of Nigerian Forum, co-convened by the Organisation for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN) and the Nigerian-Americans Public Affairs Committee (NAPAC), had endorsed Adams in June 2021 before the primary election.
At a meeting with the Nigerian community after he won the primary, Adams had pledged to include Nigerians in his administration.
At a fundraising organised for him by the Nigerian Community in New York, he also pledged to establish sister city agreements between New York and Lagos.
Chairman, Board of OAN, Yinka Dansalami, had also told NAN that the Nigerian community raised more than US$ 33,000 to support Adams.
