Mr Olisa Agbakoba, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), says the election of Toni Iwobi as the first black Italian Senator is good for Nigerians and Africans.

Iwobi, 62, was elected on the platform of the far-right League Party which propagates anti-immigration policies. He was born in Gusau, Zamfara, but has been living in Italy since the 1970s

Agbakoba, the chairman of  Nigerian Intervention Movement, a non-governmental organisation, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Saturday that Iwobi’s election was a big achievement for Africans.

“It is a good one for black people, Nigeria, and Africans in general. It is a big achievement for a black man to rise to that status in a Western country.

“But there is a very big problem, he has been elected on a wrong platform,” he said.

He noted that the senator was elected on a platform that was “contrary to African and black issues”.

“Iwobi was elected on a platform that had contrary issues on Africans and black people and that is why football star, Mario Balotelli, criticised him for being anti-black and belonging to a party that is anti-immigration.”

According to the former NBA boss, the stand of Iwobi’s party has led to the emergence far-right nationalist movement in Europe.

Agbakoba said:“ Ultra-right parties in Europe are a dangerous trend. Such parties are opposed to Angela Merkel of Germany and Emmanuel Macron of France, who are trying to build a strong Europe.”

He urged Italians and other European countries to oppose such ultra-right parties and work for a united Europe.