Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has expressed grief over the passing of Sylvester Turner, the former mayor of Houston, Texas, who died on Wednesday at the age of 70.
In a heartfelt tribute shared on social media on Thursday, Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa remembered Turner as a visionary leader and a true advocate for his community.
“We mourn the passing of Mayor Sylvester Turner, immediate past mayor of Houston, Texas. I was privileged to welcome and host him during his visit to Nigeria two years ago. He felt at home, embraced the warmth of our people, and even expressed his desire to return,” she wrote.
Describing him as “a man of great wisdom and kindness,” Dabiri-Erewa praised his legacy of service and dedication. “His legacy of service and dedication will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Mayor Turner,” she added.
Born in 1954, Turner was a Harvard Law School graduate who started his career as an attorney, specialising in corporate and commercial law in Houston before venturing into politics. A dedicated Democrat, Turner served 27 years in the Texas House of Representatives before becoming mayor of Houston in 2016, a position he held until 2024.
In November 2022, Turner revealed his battle with bone cancer, undergoing surgery and radiation treatment before declaring himself cancer-free later that year.
Turner had only recently been elected as a first-term US congressman before his sudden passing, which the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., classified as an “apparent natural death.”
