Nigerian Center Honors the Legacy of Mrs. Dolores Lami Mohammad, MFR

We honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Mrs. Dolores Lami Mohammad, MFR, who passed away on February 13, 2026. A visionary educator, cultural bridge builder, and global citizen, her leadership helped shape communities across both Nigeria and the United States. She lived a life devoted to connecting Black America and Africa, embodying a legacy of exchange, belonging, and shared destiny.

In 1970, Mrs. Mohammad left Philadelphia for Nigeria, where she spent 45 years building community, family, and institutions of lasting impact. She married the late Emir of Lere, Brig. Gen. Abubakar Garba Mohammed (Rtd.), and embraced a life of service that strengthened ties between the African diaspora and the continent.

As founder of Essence International School in Kaduna, Nigeria, in 1982, she nurtured generations of future leaders, including the founder of the Nigerian Center. She planted seeds that would one day grow into a national civic institution serving Nigerian and African diaspora communities in the United States. Through enduring work and service, she helped shape a vision of possibility that continues to guide our work today.

Mrs. Mohammad’s impact is immeasurable. We stand on the shoulders of a woman whose life affirmed the power of education, cultural connection, and community leadership. Her legacy lives on in the institutions she built, the lives she shaped, and the bridges she created between nations and generations.

May she rest in power, and may her light continue to guide us.

Shortly before her transition, the Nigerian Center’s Executive Director offered a tribute to Mrs. Mohammad in two interviews on Philadelphia’s WURD Radio 96.1 FM and the African Ancestry podcast, honoring her enduring legacy and multi-generational influence