May 16, (THEWILL) – Eva Omaghomi was one of the few Nigerians, who caught the attention of many when she stepped out for the coronation of King Charles III, dressed in an all-peach coloured ensemble with the Nigerian traditional headgear to match. However, unlike some other Nigerians, who trended majorly for the critical roles they played during the coronation, Eva trended only due to her bold fashion statement.
Unknown to many, Eva holds a very important position for the work she does in the British empire. She was one of the brains that worked behind the scenes to ensure that the coronation ceremony was a success by miles. She ensured that the black community was well represented and played significant roles during the ceremony as highlighted by THEWILL in the last weekly edition.
While about four choir groups performed at the coronation, one choir group stood out: The Ascension Choir, an all-black choir. She was instrumental in getting them to perform at the church ceremony. Led by Abimbola Amoako-Gyampah, by virtue of their ministration, they became the first Black gospel group to perform in Westminster Abbey for the coronation of a monarch.
As for the music concert that took place at the Windsor Gardens after the coronation, Eva was responsible for bringing all the music acts that churned out hits from their repertoire. Besides Take That, an English pop group from Manchester and one of Britain’s most successful boy bands, veteran musicians, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Nicole Scherzinger all flew in from the US.
With Tiwa Savage from Nigeria, it was a hard choice to make as she had other contenders like David Adeleke, aka Davido; Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy; Temilade Openiyi, aka Tems; and Ayodeji Balogun, aka Wizkid. The contenders were eventually narrowed down leaving Tiwa as the best choice for several reasons.
While Davido had a crazy schedule that could obviously clash with the day of the concert, Burna Boy wasn’t given a second thought because of the several infractions he has had to deal with, with fans. For some inexplicable reason, Tems, who is the hottest thing straight out of Nigeria’s entertainment scene, was also not given a second thought, same with Wizkid. So, Tiwa became the obvious choice.
The organisers, led by Eva, figured she couldn’t be written off because of her sex tape blackmail saga as she was merely the victim in the incident. They figured she deserved to be given a chance seeing how well she has comported herself since the unfortunate incident as well as her refusal to be ‘buried’, which has seen her brand waxing stronger. What is more, she appeals to people globally.
All the artists brought their A-game to the concert, which had 20,000 people in attendance and over 14 million people watching their performance globally. One interesting aspect about the artists is that they all agreed to perform for free but the inauguration committee shouldered the responsibility for their accommodation and transportation.
Eva was able to pull off a smooth coronation ceremony from behind the scenes as a result of her position as the Director of Community Engagement to King Charles III, a position she assumed in 2021.
King Charles created the role with the sole aim of improving diversity in royal households. The role became necessary after the senior Royals decided to improve efforts to champion the rights of minorities. The job requires her to help take forward Their Royal Highnesses’ work with minority groups in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and globally, building on a legacy stretching back to the 1970s.
She was, until King Charles’ ascension to the throne, his most senior black aide. It is unknown if she will continue to serve in that capacity now that King Charles is on the throne.
Prior to the appointment, the British-Nigerian appointee had been in the service of King Charles for 13 years. She had served at the Clarence House as the Deputy Communications Secretary and later, a Senior Strategic Adviser to the Prince’s Trust Group, a position she held for two years.
The 45-year-old, who is also a Christian minister, is one of the trustees of the Big Kid Foundation, a non-governmental organisation fighting against youth violence.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
