‘This country has given me a voice’, says FG local election candidate

Kinnegad’s Anthonia Izekor is quite clear about why she is running in June’s local election: she wants to give something back to the country that has given her so much.

Born in the west African country of Sierra Leone, Ms Izekor spent much of her childhood in Nigeria before her family moved to Ireland when she was a teenager. Her parents decided to move, she says, due to the lack of prospects available to her and her sisters in west Africa.

"Where I came from, opportunities weren’t available to a girl like me. I came from a family that has girls. We were not recognised, I suppose; seen but not heard.

"We had genital mutilation and things like that happening. We came to Ireland for a better life. Ireland has really giving me the opportunity to have a voice.

"I went to school here and got my qualifications, I went to university. To see that happening for a child like me who was never given an opportunity in our country, it was such a plus.

"Later I got married and I had five children.

"I also became a registered [further education] teacher. All of that happened because the country accepted me and gave me a voice and an opportunity. I am really grateful for the life that Ireland has given to me."

Ms Izekor, who moved to Kinnegad almost 20 years ago, was the last name added to the Fine Gael ticket in the Kinnegad LEA, alongside Cllr Emily Wallace and fellow first time candidate, Seamus McDermott.

She says that one of the reasons she decided to join Fine Gael is that she was impressed with the way they governed the country as it made its way out of recession.

"I have been following Irish politics for so long. I also studied it a bit in university. I had been thinking about what party to join, but when I saw the way Fine Gael performed during the recession, it gave me the answer I was looking for."

The election of her party colleague Yemi Adenuga as Ireland’s first female migrant councillor, in Meath in 2019, was also a factor.

"Fine Gael made that happen. The equal opportunity, the openness, the core values of Fine Gael are what really attracted me."

After making the decision to run for election, Ms Izekor participated in the See Her Elected programme, which was established to address the under-representation of women in politics in rural Ireland.

"It was a great benefit and very helpful. I learned a lot, the same as the other first-time candidates taking part. They gave us all the tools we need. It was great."

Ms Izekor, whose political hero is Nelson Mandela, says that running for election is a natural extension of the voluntary work she has carried out in the Kinnegad area for more than a decade.

"I love to get involved in voluntary work. I want to give back to Ireland. This country has given me a voice. I don’t think I would have this voice in my home country.

"In the rural part of the country where I came from, women were never given an opportunity. Our talents were hidden. This country has given me the opportunity to showcase my talent. I think this is just another way of giving back to this country and my community."

On the campaign trail, Ms Izekor says one issue keeps coming up on people’s doorsteps. "People keep saying we need more affordable housing. They also say we need more work for elderly people, more bus shelters, better road and footpath maintenance, as well as more community development.

"In some ways Kinnegad is a stagnant community. We are getting a new library, but this should have happened a long time ago. We also need more support for local businesses. We have a population of over 3,000, but we don’t have a secondary school yet.

"...I have my priorities, but I want to listen to people and hear what they want from their local councillor; what change they want."

Asked to give a reason people should vote for her, Ms Izekor said that as a mother of five children aged between 21 and 12, she understands the difficulties many families are going through.

"I think they should choose someone who feels their pain. Someone who is approachable, who is accountable. Someone who can relate to what they are going through."

‘Youth should be seen and engaged’

In the Kinnegad area, the Izekor name is synonymous with sporting excellence. Ms Izekor’s 16-year-old daughter Diana is a talented rugby player and recently joined Leinster youth set-up, while her second oldest son Divine (19) plays League of Ireland football with Athlone Town.

Her other children Denians (21), who plays rugby in university, basketball player Darren (17) and soccer player Desire (12), are also talented athletes.

Ms Izekor says sport is hugely important to her children and helped them quickly integrate into the community when they moved to Kinnegad.

A firm believer that youth "should be seen and engaged", during the pandemic she set up a youth club for local children. One of her prime motivations was to provide a social outlet in the community for young people who are not involved in organised sport.

"We do a lot of activities. It is really fantastic. Not all kids are involved in sport and those kids who aren’t can feel left out. I don’t want them to feel left out. I want it to be inclusive. For kids that are involved in sport and those that aren’t, they should have something to do together, to interact and integrate."