The continued ban on asylum-seekers finding temporary employment is one of the issues which two Nigerian candidates aim to highlight when they become the first Africans to stand for Galway City Council in June. Lorna Siggins reports from Galway.
Mr Paul Osikoya, a trained accountant and father of four, and Ms Tokie Laotan, a community worker, model and independent mother of three, have both declared their intention to stand.
Both will stand as independents in separate areas of the city and hope to draw support from both nationals and non-nationals, given that both asylum-seekers and refugees are entitled to vote in the local elections.
As of January there are 2,865 asylum-seekers and refugees in the Western Health Board area of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. The Galway Refugee Support Gropu estimates that about 2,500 of these are in the Galway area.
Mr Osikoya (40) has been in Ireland for four years and works with the Galway Youth Federation.
He will be standing in the west ward of the city and hopes to campaign on several issues, including the ban on work permits for asylum-seekers who have applied for refugee status.
He also wants to highlight the need for a more developed social infrastructure on the city's west side, and the length of waiting lists for social and affordable housing.
"Housing and health are issues which affect both nationals and ethnic minorities here, and I think we have much in common in this regard," Mr Osikoya said.
He believes that established political parties are "trying their best", but is convinced that non-nationals need to have a voice at local level.
Ms Laotan is in her late 20s and has been living in Ireland for four years.
She is originally from Lagos and holds a degree in international relations from a German university. She works with the Catwalk Model Agency in Galway to support her three children, Kiishi (4), and twins Eniola and Tinuola (2).
However, she is also involved in community issues through the Galway Refugee Support Group, the African Women's Network, the Galway City Community Forum and the Community Workers' Co-op.
She aims to campaign on several issues including support for childcare, a better environment for children in housing estates and pedestrian and cycling facilities in the city. Ms Laotan will stand in the city's north and east ward.
The Galway Refugee Support Group is urging asylum-seekers and refugees to register, which will entitle them to a vote in the local elections. This involves signing a form at a Garda station and showing proof of identity.
Ms Celine Geoffret of the GRSG said a Department of Justice identification card was sufficient for this.