History was recently made in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, South-East London after a Nigerian was elected as the first African mayor.
The new mayor, 59-year-old Olugbenga Babatola was born in Nigeria but is now a British citizen.
He
had previously served as a councillor in the district, a position to
which he was elected in 2014 because of his inspirational leadership
style.
In 2015, he became the first African to be elected as deputy Mayor and served alongside current Mayor, Norman Adam
Babatola will be inaugurated into office as the first African Mayor of Greenwich on May 25, 2016.
“Looking
around Royal Greenwich there’s much to be proud of. The physical
regeneration of our community continues apace, while there are many
developments in our economic, social and community life,” Council leader Denise Hyland said.
“I
was determined that we should open the inauguration ceremony to more
local people to reflect on the role our community plays in achieving the
successes we have enjoyed over the past year. It is also a way to
welcome Cllr Babatola to his new role as Mayor, and to thank Cllr Adams
for his hard work and service during his tenure,” she added.
The
mayor is elected by council members at an annual meeting and the
position is held for a year. He or she is the first citizen of the Royal
Borough and acts as an ambassador at public affairs and at civic and
ceremonial events.
