UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said she does not see herself as Nigerian and has not held a Nigerian passport for more than two decades, a remark made on the Rosebud podcast that triggered swift global reaction.
“I’m Nigerian by ancestry, not by identity”
Speaking with broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, Badenoch explained that although she was born in London and spent much of her childhood in Lagos, her sense of belonging is now firmly rooted in Britain. “Home is where my family is—and the Conservative Party is an extension of that family,” she told listeners.
Badenoch added that she last renewed a Nigerian passport in the early 2000s and recalled feeling she “never quite belonged” while growing up in Nigeria. The 45-year-old leader returned to the UK at 16 after her parents deemed Nigeria’s political and economic outlook too uncertain.
Backlash from Nigeria and the diaspora
Her comments drew criticism from Nigerian officials and prominent diaspora voices, who accused the minister of distancing herself from her heritage for political gain. Former Nigerian senator Shehu Sani urged her to “return our name” if she rejects the nation, while human-rights lawyer Femi Falana called some of her earlier claims about Nigerian citizenship laws “misleading.”