Changchun Yatai of China striker, Odion Jude Ighalo has been honoured with citizenship status in the Canadian city of Calgary.
The honorary citizenship has been bestowed on the Super Eagles star during his vacation at the city in the province of Alberta, where he was also given a certificate to confirm his new status in Calgary.
The certificate was given to him at the White Hat Ceremony which is a long-standing tradition in Calgary, a symbol of the Western hospitality and good cheer they share with visiting guests.
The honour comes few days after Ighalo arrived to spend some days in Calgary and attended the White Hat Ceremony with some of his Canada-based relatives.
As part of the ceremony, the 28-year-old striker was given a white hat, as he joined several celebrities and dignitaries on the honours’ list.
They all had the white Smithbilt hat bestowed on them on their visits to the city since the 1950s, when Calgary’s Mayor, Don MacKay, started the tradition.
It is another personal lift for Ighalo, who joined Changchun Yatai in January 2017 and scored 14 League goals for the Chinese club, leading them to a seventh-place finish in the league.
He withdrew from Super Eagles duties in the just concluded international break because of an injury which also made him miss Changchun Yatai’s last league game of the season.
Before visiting Calgary, the former Watford striker spent some days in Las Vegas where he ran into retired boxing champion Floyd Mayweather.
The certificate was signed by Chief White Hatter of Calgary, Cindy Ady, a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
On it is written: “Honorary Calgarian, this certificate entitles Odion Jude Ighalo to enjoy a truly western experience in Calgary.
“Now an honorary Calgarian, the recipient has understood and made a promise to extend this special brand of western hospitality to everyone from the day forward.