Eric Adams, the city’s second black mayor and the former Brooklyn borough president, has been sworn in as New York City’s 110th mayor.
Adams was sworn in at Times Square, New York, on Saturday following the New Year’s Eve ball drop.
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,” the new mayor said.
The 61-year-old Democrat, who spent 22 years in the New York City Police Department (NYPD), succeeds outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Adams took a narrow victory in the crowded June 2021 Democratic primary, then won the general election in November by a wide margin against Republican Curtis Sliwa.
The retired cop, former state senator and outgoing Brooklyn borough president, assumed office in the midst of a surge in Omicron variant cases of COVID-19.
Adams’s first task as mayor, however, will be to help 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.
The city’s testing system, once the envy of the nation, has struggled to meet demand and long lines form outside testing sites.
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.
Adams, at a meeting with the Nigerian community after he won the primary, had pledged to include Nigerians in his administration.
Also, at a fundraising organised for him by the Nigerian Community in New York, he pledged to establish sister city agreements between New York and Lagos.
Chairman, Board of OAN, Mr Yinka Dansalami, said that the Nigerian community raised more than $33,000 to support Adams.
Dansalami said the Nigerian community surpassed the minimum amount of $25,000 set for communities.
