“I NO LONGER IDENTIFY AS NIGERIAN” – KEMI BADENOCH’S COMMENT SPARKS DIASPORA DEBATE
By: IDNN News Desk
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — UK Conservative Party heavyweight and Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch, has said she no longer identifies as Nigerian, citing her long-term residence in the United Kingdom and personal disconnect from her country of ancestry.
Speaking on the Rosebud podcast hosted by former MP Gyles Brandreth, Badenoch declared:
“I’m Nigerian through ancestry, by birth, despite not being born there because of my parents… but by identity, I’m not really.”
Her comments have reignited conversation in Nigeria and across the diaspora about national identity, political belonging, and cultural detachment.
“I haven’t renewed my Nigerian passport since the early 2000s”
Badenoch revealed that after moving permanently to the UK in her teens, she never felt the need to keep her Nigerian passport.
“Most of my life has been in the UK, and I’ve just never felt the need to,” she explained.
“When I visited after my father died, I had to apply for a visa — it was a big fandango.”
She attributed her family’s decision to send her back to the UK in 1996 to Nigeria’s worsening political and economic outlook at the time.
Backlash and Political Memory
Badenoch’s remarks have reignited a diplomatic memory from late 2024, when she came under fire from Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima, who accused her of “denigrating” Nigeria in public statements.
At the time, Badenoch had spoken of her childhood as filled with fear and insecurity due to corruption and political chaos.
The Vice President’s office issued a sharp rebuttal, insisting:
“We are proud of her success, despite her efforts at disowning her nation of origin.”
Badenoch’s camp later defended her position, clarifying that her comments were based on personal experience and not a blanket condemnation of the country.
“I never quite felt I belonged there”
During the podcast, Badenoch added a personal layer to her evolving identity:
“I remember never quite feeling that I belonged there,” she said.
“I came back to the UK in 1996 thinking — this is home.”
She also said her early years in Nigeria informed her aversion to socialism and shaped her political conservatism:
“I saw what policies can do to ruin a country.”
⚖️ Context: Identity and Diaspora
Badenoch’s commentary, while deeply personal, is drawing a wave of emotional responses online — especially from Nigerians abroad who juggle dual allegiances.
Some view her statement as honest and valid. Others say it disrespects her roots, especially for someone who lived in Lagos, benefitted from Nigerian upbringing, and remains a public figure of Nigerian descent.
“She didn’t say she hates Nigeria. She said she no longer identifies. That’s her right,” one commenter wrote.
“But don’t erase the context,” another countered. “You don’t denounce a country that raised you.”
🔮 What It Means
The debate cuts deeper than one politician’s statement — it speaks to a broader tension between diaspora identity, political expectations, and what it means to carry Nigeria in name, culture, or spirit.
As elections near in both the UK and Nigeria, Badenoch’s comments are likely to fuel further scrutiny of how diaspora voices shape international opinion about Nigeria.
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