Nigeria’s Consul General in New York, Ambassador Lot Egopija, has revealed that plans are underway to honour the late Nigerian singer, Mohbad.
Egopija said that as part of the 63rd Independence Day celebration in New York, the Consulate intends to hold a dinner in his honour on Monday, October.
Mohbad died suddenly on the 12 of September, stirring a lot of controversy around his demise.
In a chat with reporters in New York, Egopija said the Consulate would host a dinner on Monday, October 2, in collaboration with Nigerian Associations in America (NOA), after a flag-raising event in honour of the late singer.
Speaking on the theme of the event titled “Nigeria@63, Renewed Hope for Unity and Prosperity,’’ the Consular called on Nigerians living in the U.S. to be hopeful about the future of the country and its leadership.
He said: “My message to Nigerians is, ‘We should be hopeful, and we should hold on to our belief that we will all arrive at our destination’.
“As the president has admonished us, let us ensure that even as the government renews our hope through its policies, we will also do everything to follow and ensure that we attain our desired goals.
“Unfortunately, we had earlier invited MohBad, who recently passed on, to perform as the special artist at the festival; having lost him, we will honour him with the event.
“Also, many cultural groups will perform; Nigerians and Nigerian associations in America who want to showcase their culture and promote tourism in their respective ethnic groups are welcomed.
“Mayor Eric Adams has also agreed to participate with us to ensure the success of the festival and the parade.
“The parade will start at 2nd Avenue and East 54th Street and will proceed to East 44th and ends at Dag Hammarskjold Park, where the festival will be held.”
The envoy, therefore, appealed to every Nigerian to come for the celebrations, saying, “It is only in our celebration of Nigeria that we can come together, and it is in togetherness that we can overcome our challenges.’’