Mr Oseni and his wife, Taiwo, will become citizens in an Australia Day ceremony at Ballarat on Thursday.

The couple emigrated from their native Nigeria to England before moving to Melbourne in 2012.

The family of three moved to Ballarat last year.

“In my life I’ve had all sorts of experiences but to be honest this is the greatest, apart from when my daughter was born, it’s something I will remember for the rest of my life because it’s opening of a new chapter in my life and it tells me I’m accepted here,” Mr Oseni, who commutes to Melbourne for work as a network engineer, said.

“Growing up in Nigeria, it was something I never thought I would become a citizen of another country.”

Mr Oseni said their young family “mixed with everyone” in Ballarat. 

Mrs Oseni is a lecturer in information systems at Federation University.

Before the move, she completed a PHD at Monash University.

“In Ballarat here we belong to a local church and we form a family with members of our church so we sort of blend with people from everywhere.

“I just feel that relating to everyone around and having good relationships with people of all backgrounds really helps build the Australian in me.”

His dual identity was a balance between his native Nigeria and Australia, Mr Oseni said.

He and his wife speak their mother tongue as much as possible at home and are raising their two-year-old daughter as bilingual. 

“When you’re a dual national, it’s not like I’m forfeiting my native origin or forfeiting my native citizenship so what that means I have to be able to balance to the two but as far as I’m concerned this is where I am now.

“When you look at it, this is where I am, this is where my family is and this is where my kids are growing up.”

The City of Ballarat will welcome 20 new citizens at a ceremony on Thursday.

Moorabool Shire Council will welcome 28.

Brimbank City Council will see the highest number of new citizens in the state, with 241 soon-to-be citizens registered as of December.