Two Nigerian residents in Canada, Ayo Owodunni and Khadijah Haliru has both emerged winners of the Councillorship elections in Canada.
While Ayo Owodunni was elected as the first black city councillor in Kitchener, a city in the Candian province of Ontario, Khadijah Haliru emerged winner of the Ingersoll Town councillorship election in Oxford county, Ontario, Canada.
Owodunni contested against four other candidates in the municipal election for Ward 5 after the incumbent Kelly Galloway-Sealock said he was not seeking re-election.
He ran his campaign on three promises – speeding on local roads, keeping taxes low, and affordable housing.
“I am more aware than ever that our city is evolving rapidly, and the leadership needs to evolve to tackle urgent issues like road safety, cost of living, belonging, housing affordability, and climate change,” he told CBC.
President Muhammadu Buhari has applauded his emergence as the first black person to become a City Councillor in Kitchener, London Ontario, Canada.
The president made his feelings known in a statement by his media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, on Wednesday in Abuja.
He praised the contributions of the Diaspora in promoting Nigeria’s image abroad and acting as brand ambassadors,
The president lauded them for supporting businesses in their efforts to promote learning and bring diversity, inclusion and cultural understanding in the workplace.
Speaking on Ayo’s historic victory, Buhari said the record-setting election of the Nigerian, the first ever for a black person, highlighted the various initiatives undertaken by him as a consultant, facilitator and trainer.
He, therefore, congratulated Ayo, his spouse, Folake, and their two children “on this very important election victory.”
The president urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to always promote the government’s development agenda wherever they lived and ”never be afraid to dream big and never give up on your dreams.”
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, revealed the emergence of Khadijah Haliru as the winner of the Ingersoll Town councillorship election in Oxford county, Ontario, Canada this on her verified Twitter handle on Wednesday.
Khadijah Haliru
This comes a few hours after Ayo Owodunni became the first black person to become a City Councillor in Kitchener, London Ontario, Canada.
Owodunni won the Municipal elections for Ward 5 in a keenly contested race for the office.
In a short video posted on her Facebook page, Haliru expressed gratitude to the people of Ingersoll Town for electing her.
“I just want to say congratulations to all the winners tonight. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to represent Ingersoll, and I look forward to doing this with heart and all the dedication and devotion into this duty that you deserve.
“So thank you, and yes we have a voice. We did it. We won,” she said.
Haliru, while campaigning on 104.7 Heart FM in July said she will shine a light on downtown businesses, engage youths and address homelessness if she becomes an Ingersoll Town Councillor this fall.
She is the CEO of K Business Group Inc and also the owner of Hanak Foods, K Body Blends, and K Coaching Academy.
“I feel like we just really have to open our hearts and minds to a different way of thinking so we can bring some change. I’m not saying anything about whether the current council is right or wrong, but having an additional perspective is fair,” Haliru said in the interview.
“Being really strategically located we have the opportunity to be a centre of attraction for tourists. Our downtown is suffering, so we need to bring more attention to our businesses and I have a few ideas on how we can engage youth more.”
