FILE: The four Nigerians who won election in UK

Although it is now over, the United Kingdom election continues to generate interest from all over the world; and in Nigeria, the searchlight is beaming on four Nigerians who will be part of the new government.

KATE OSAMOR

Osamor won the Edmonton constituency in London after running under the platform of Labour Party.

She worked for the National Health Service (NHS) for 15 years and is a trade union activist, a women’s charity trustee and a member of LP’s national executive committee. She funded the NHS, opposing its fragmentation and standing up to government cuts the centrepiece of her campaign. She has lived in north London her whole life.

CHUKA UMUNNA

Ummuna had his primary education at Hitherfield in Streamham, south London, and became deputy head boy at the Boys’ Independent Senior School, St Dunstan’s college in southeast London during his secondary level. He went on to study English and French Law from the University of Manchester, where he was awarded with an upper second class LLB.

He was adopted as the Labour party’s prospective parliamentary candidate for streamham in 2008 and polled a majority of 3,259 votes at the 2010 general election to become an elected member of parliament for streamham.

His Nigerian father, Bennett, died in a road accident in his homeland in 1992. His English mother, Patricia, is a solicitor and daughter of Sir Helenus Milmo QC, the Anglo-Irish high court judge.

CHI ONWURAH

Onwurah won the seat for Newcastle. Born to Nigerian parents in Wallsend Newcastle in 1965, shestudied Electrical Engineering at Imperial, College London.

Her family relocated to Awka, capital of Anambra state in Nigeria when she was a baby, but following the breakout of the Biafran civil war, her mother returned Chi to Newcastle, while her father enlisted in the Biafran army.

Before venturing into politics, she worked in the private sector in Nigeria, UK, France and Denmark.

In 2010, the 50-year-old contested under the Labour Party and got elected as the member of parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne central, replacing the previous Labour MP Jim Cousins, who decided to step down. She is Newcastle’s first black MP.

HELEN GRANT

Born on September 28, 1961, to a Nigerian father and English mother, Grant is a British Conservative Party politician and solicitor.

She grew up in a single parent family after her parents separated and her father migrated to the United States. She was raised in Carlisle where she lived on the city’s Raffles council estate with her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Her political career kicked off in 2004 under the Labour Party, where was asked by a senior local party figure to consider becoming a local councilor, but she rejected the idea and joined the Conservative Party two years later, claiming that the Labour party showed little interest in her and left her feelings disillusioned.

Grant is the first black woman to be selected to defend a Tory seat and her election in 2010 also made her the Conservatives’ first female black MP.

She received her first government appointment in 2012, and played dual roles of undersecretary of state for justice, and undersecretary for women and equalities,

She is current member of parliament for Maidstone and The Weald in Kent and the current minister for sport, tourism and equalities.