Rightwing anti-immigration Nigerian Tony Iwobi elected as the Italy's first black senator

NIGERIAN-born information technology professional Tony Iwobi has become Italy's first black senator after being elected on the platform of the rightwing and nationalist Anti-Immigration League into the Italian senate.

Mr Iwobi, 62, of Spirano in Lombardy, was born in Nigeria and came to Italy on a student visa some 40 years ago, before going on to marry an Italian woman and start his own IT company. Before running for senator he represented the league as a municipal councillor in Spirano back in the 1990s and more recently headed party leader Matteo Salvini's national committee on immigration.

In that capacity, he helped write the league's anti-migration platform, in which it proposed among other things to make it easier to deport migrants and to use economic incentives to get countries to agree to repatriate their nationals from Italy. In addition, he proposed that Italy should refuse to take in migrants rescued by non-governmental organisations from the Mediterranean.

Senator Iwobi also proposed that Italy to renegotiate European Union agreements that oblige the country to house migrants that arrive while their application to stay is processed. He also suggested that Italy should withdraw the right to seek asylum or benefits if migrants commit a crime or break the rules of the reception centre where they're housed.

Furthermore, he called for the stiffening of existing requirements for the children of immigrants applying for citizenship to include a test on Italian language, culture and traditions.  While his positions may seem surprising given his own experience, Mr Iwobi says that he does not oppose immigrants who like himself come to Italy legally and seek to integrate.

He added that his problem is with what he calls the clandestine invasion, which includes people who seek to stay in Italy illegally.  Campaigning with the slogan Stop Invasion, Mr Iwobi said his concern is not just for Italians but for migrants, who the league claims it prefers to help in their own home rather than in Italy.

Senator Iwobi said: "After more than 25 years of fighting as part of the league's big family, I'm about to start another great adventure. I'm ready, friends."

Despite being one of very few black members of the league, whose leader has made many inflammatory remarks about non-Italians and Muslims, Mr Iwobi insists that the party is not racist. He was quick to defend fellow party member Attilio Fontana, who caused outrage during the campaign by saying that immigration to Italy threatened the survival of "our white race."

Mr Fontana went on to win his campaign to become president of Lombardy, Italy's most populous region, by a margin of 20%. Mr Salvini, the league's leader said Mr Iwobi would do more for legal immigrants in one month than Cecile Kyenge did in her entire life, referring to Italy's first and only black government minister to date, who served as minister of integration in the previous centre-left government.

One of only a handful of black Italians to occupy a prominent position in national politics, she was subjected to a torrent of racist abuse from members of the public and fellow politicians, including being compared to an orangutan by one of the league's leading senators. That same senator, Roberto Calderoli, ran alongside Iwobi in Bergamo in this latest election and won his race and is already being touted as a possible speaker of the upper house.

Responding to Mr Iwobi's election, Italy's first black striker, Ghanaian-born Mario Balotelli, said: “Maybe I’m blind or maybe they haven’t told him that he’s black yet. Disgrace!”

Balotelli, who was born in Palermo to Ghanaian parents and has played 33 times for Italy, has long been a target for racist abuse. However, Mr Iwobi said: “I’m not interested in what Balotelli thinks. He’s a great footballer, I hope he sticks to doing what he’s good at.”