'Canada has been very kind': Nigerian doctor on finding a new home in Sudbury

​Chiebere Ogbuneke was only 18 years old when he left Nigeria to study abroad.

Ogbuneke was one of six children, and his father encouraged each of them to pursue an education outside of Nigeria.

"His aspiration was if any one of us wanted to study outside, he would do his very best, and my mom was supportive of that," he says.

Ogbuneke headed off to medical school in Russia — but not everyone was welcoming towards foreign students.

Many people thought foreign students were getting support from the government that they didn't deserve, even though the students were paying hefty fees to go to school. Ogbuneke says people on the street would tell him to go back where he came from.

"They dished out their anger on people, I believe, because of lack of understanding."

Ogbuneke knew he didn't want to raise a family in Russia and he began to look seriously at moving to Canada.

Growing up, he had heard many stories about life in Canada from his uncle, who had emigrated from Nigeria in the 1970s.

"The aspiration of anybody is to give your children more than you [had]," he says. "I believed that my kids would have a better life in Canada."

Ogbuneke and his wife — whom he had met in medical school — made their way to Canada, and eventually settled in Sudbury with their family.

While he's noticed traces of the racism he experienced in Russia, Ogbuneke says he likes to stay positive about his new home.

"Canada has been very kind to me and to my children, so I can't complain."