Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: It's such a pleasure to be here. I want to thank the Organization for the Advancement of Nigerians. I want to thank the Nigerian Independence Committee. I want to thank all of our esteemed dignitaries and our hosts who are here today. Thank you.
And I have to tell you, I'm a little bit starstruck because I heard that Runtown was going to be here later. And I was born in Kampala in Uganda, and I grew up listening to "Lagos to Kampala." And then I heard that Patoranking is going to be here, and I love talking about "My Woman, My Everything."
I think you all know that being someone who's proud to be born in the continent of Africa, we all look to Lagos, we all look to Nigeria for a sense of self, a sense of belonging as well. So, whether it's Nigerian food, whether it is Nigerian music, whether it's Nigerian soccer players, we know that Nigeria is a part of our life.
And I can tell you, as the mayor of our city, we are so thankful that you have chosen to make this city your home too. Because when we look across this city, we look at what we love, we know that so much of it was made possible because of Nigerian New Yorkers like you. Even this summer when this country fell in love with soccer, we were cheering for Flo Balogun, who is a striker for the American national team born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents. So, with all that being said, I want to say thank you to all of you. It's a pleasure to be your mayor and it makes me so proud to be here.
