Toni Iwobi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Senate | |
| In office 23 March 2018 – 12 October 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 April 1955 Gusau, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Political party | Lega Nord |
| Alma mater | Pacific Western University |
| Profession | Politician, entrepreneur |
Tony Chike Iwobi (born 26 April 1955),[1][2] better known as Toni Iwobi, is an Italian politician for Lega Nord who was elected to the Italian Senate in the 2018 general election.[3]
Born in the city of Gusau in northern Nigeria, he is of Igbo descent. He is one of 11 siblings in a Roman Catholic family.[4] He attended Catholic schools. His mother tongue is Igbo and English.[2]
He completed a degree in economics with specialization in marketing and business management in Manchester, England. He came to Italy on a student visa in 1976, and obtained a degree in accounting in Treviglio. He also has higher degrees (laurea) in computer science from the USA and Italy.[2]
Iwobi is the founder and since 2001 managing director of Data Communication Labs Ltd.[3][5] Previously he worked for AMSA (Azienda Milanese Servizi Ambientali) and has worked for a company in Roveredo, Switzerland.[2] A supporter of federalism, which he knew from Nigeria, he became a member of Lega Nord, where he was particularly inspired by Gianfranco Miglio.[6] In 1993, he was elected municipal councillor for the party in Spirano, a position he held until 2014. From 2010 to 2014 he also served as assessor with responsibility for social services.[1][4]
Iwobi was in 2014 selected by party leader Matteo Salvini to draft Lega Nord's new immigration policy which had a hard stance against illegal immigration and played a big role in the party's campaign in the 2018 Italian general election.[7]
In the 2018 general election he was elected to the Italian Senate, becoming the first black person to take a seat in the Senate.[3][4][7]
He is general counsel of the Italy-USA Foundation.
He did not stand up for re-election in 2022.
He is married to an Italian woman, Lucia, and has two children, Elisabetta and Clifford.[3]