Dr Monica Oikeh describes moving from her home in Nigeria to west Dublin at the age of 15 as “absolutely a cultural shock”.
Oikeh’s mother had just died from sepsis following a fire when it was decided that it would be best if she moved to Blanchardstown to be with her father, who had come to Ireland a few years previously.
“At 15 you’re going through the changes of being a teenager and then there was also this grief as well,” Oikeh recalls. “There was the change of weather and the language. It was very hard to understand the Irish accent when I first moved, but I was very fortunate.”
Oikeh (35) went on to study medicine in Trinity College Dublin and now lives in Carrigaline in Co Cork, working as a GP in the area.
She joined the Green Party two years ago, and while unsuccessful in this year’s local elections, she is the party’s candidate in Cork South-Central in the upcoming general election.
Oikeh is one of 11 candidates from a migrant background running in the election, according to preliminary figures from the Immigrant Council of Ireland. The total is up from three in 2020, including former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar whose father is from India.
More than half of candidates with a migrant background are women, who are all affiliated with a political party.
“Coming from an African background and living in Ireland, sometimes you don’t see the Dáil that reflects you, so you don’t feel you have a place there,” Oikeh says.
“Certain issues I was discussing with friends and patients, especially in the health sector, there are so many things that weren’t being brought up and stuff I just didn’t agree with.”
Oikeh says she is “very passionate” about women’s health and is continuing to juggle working full-time with canvassing in the evenings.
She says the majority of her interactions on the doors have been positive to date but also points to abusive comments online.
“Sometimes out canvassing some people would say ‘definitely not voting for you; where are you from, where are your parents from?’ If I sense or get a feeling it’s not going the way it should be, I step away and avoid putting myself in harm’s way,” she says.
“It’s worse online though. If I said it didn’t affect me, I would be lying. I have a really great job in the community. The question is always, why am I doing this and it’s because I have been working in this area in Cork for so long and the changes I’ve seen are not reflecting the needs of the community and I feel by getting a seat in the Dáil, hopefully I could be a voice for that. That motivates me.”
Oikeh adds if she does have a negative experience, “I pick myself up, I give my dog a cuddle and then I get back to it.”
In the Galway West constituency, councillor Helen Ogbu (51) has been named as the Labour Party’s candidate. Obgu became the first African woman to be elected to Galway City Council in June.
Social media is different. I’ve received some nasty comments but I don’t engage with them
— Helen Ogbu
She says her interest in politics stemmed from her late husband’s involvement in Nigeria. He was assassinated in 2010 while running for election there in “a politically motivated killing”.
For the past 20 years she has been living with her daughter in Galway, where she works as a life coach; she has also been a foster carer to more than 30 children.
Ogbu is a former chairwoman of the Galway Refugee Support Group and volunteers as a support worker with the sexual assault unit in the Galway Rape Crisis Centre.
She says she wants to advocate for a “fairer and more inclusive society” as well as be a voice for migrants who are often “afraid to speak out”.
“Coming to Ireland and seeing the issues and challenges facing a lot of migrants and people just accepting it and not having people to advocate influenced me,” Ogbu says.
She says her priorities include affordable housing, recreational facilities, education, childcare, “quality healthcare and a strong, inclusive economy”.
Ogbu says she has had some unpleasant encounters on the doors which can be “challenging” but will generally “just move on and say ‘thank you’.
“Social media is different,” she adds. “I’ve received some nasty comments, especially during the local elections, but I don’t engage with them.”
She says the comments make her “feel bad” but that she has a “great team” around her.
“I have great support from my team and also my daughter,” she says.
“No matter what people say, Ireland has been a blessing. The Irish people are really welcoming and supportive.”
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