Kemi Badenoch Under Fire Over Fresh Comments on Nigeria

UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch is facing backlash over repeated critical comments about Nigeria—including likening her Nigerian boarding school to a prison, rejecting her Nigerian identity, accusing local police of theft, and criticizing the country’s culture and governance—despite once appealing to Nigerian voters during her 2010 UK parliamentary campaign.

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, is once again at the center of controversy following a string of critical remarks about her early life in Nigeria.

Speaking in a recently circulated video clip, Badenoch described her time at the Federal Government Girls College, Sagamu, Ogun State, as akin to a “prison experience.” She recounted being handed a machete to cut grass and fetching water with buckets, calling the environment harsh and unwelcoming.

“It was like being in prison,” she said. “I had to use a machete to cut grass. Who else was going to do it?”

Born in Wimbledon in 1980, Badenoch spent a significant part of her childhood in Nigeria and the United States before returning to the UK at 16. She was one of the last recipients of birthright citizenship in the UK before its abolition in 1981.

A Pattern of Criticism

Badenoch’s recent remarks are not her first critique of Nigeria or its institutions. Here are some of her most talked-about statements:

“I don’t identify as a Nigerian”

In an August 1 appearance on the Rosebud Podcast, Badenoch stated she hadn’t renewed her Nigerian passport in over two decades and no longer identifies as Nigerian.

“I’m Nigerian by ancestry, but not by identity,” she said. “I know the country well, I have family there, but I don’t consider myself Nigerian.”

“Growing up in Lagos was a life of fear”

At the 2024 Conservative Party Conference, she spoke about her childhood in Lagos:

“You can’t understand it unless you’ve lived it — checking doors and windows constantly, hearing neighbors scream during robberies. I grew up in fear.”

“My children can’t be Nigerians because I’m a woman”

In a CNN interview with Fareed Zakaria, Badenoch criticized Nigerian citizenship laws, which she said deny her children citizenship because of her gender.

“Not all cultures are equal,” she said. “In some places, like Nigeria, women can’t pass on nationality. Meanwhile, people exploit UK citizenship systems without scrutiny.”

She added that “mini-Nigerias” shouldn’t be recreated in Britain, a remark that drew sharp backlash online.

Comparing UK to Nigeria

In a January 2025 speech, Badenoch warned the UK risks decline if governance reforms are ignored.

“I know what it’s like to watch a family’s hard-earned income vanish due to inflation and poor governance. I don’t want Britain to follow that path.”

“Nigerian police robbed my brother”

In an interview with The Free Press, Badenoch contrasted her experience with UK and Nigerian police:

“In Nigeria, police stole my brother’s shoes and watch. They’d rob us — that was normal.”

The Contradiction: When Nigeria Mattered

Despite distancing herself from Nigeria now, Badenoch leaned into her Nigerian identity during her 2010 bid for a seat in the UK Parliament representing Dulwich & West Norwood. She actively sought support from Nigerian communities:

“I’m running for parliament, and Nigerians have been fantastic. I need your help to change perceptions — we are not fraudsters or terrorists,” she wrote in campaign messages.

READ ALSO: Scholar Criticizes ABSU Graduate for Comment on Nigerian Men’s Attitudes Towards Successful Women

SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, PUNCH