How Kemi Badenoch Begged Nigerians for Support in 2010 Before Later Denouncing Her Roots
- Kemi Badenoch once sought Nigerian votes during her 2010 UK parliamentary campaign when she appealed to shared heritage
- Years later, she described schooling in Nigeria as a “prison” and said she no longer identifies as Nigerian
- Her stark criticisms of Nigeria have reignited debate over her shifting stance and public image
Years before she became a leading figure in the British Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch once reached out to Nigerians in the UK to appeal for support during her 2010 parliamentary bid.
But today, her sharp criticism of Nigeria has ignited renewed debate over her relationship with the country of her heritage.
Source: Facebook
Kemi rallied Nigerians support in 2010
In 2010 according to Punch, Badenoch openly embraced her Nigerian background to boost her campaign for Dulwich & West Norwood as she urged Nigerians to “support a Nigerian who will improve our national image.”
At the time, she described the race as “very tight” and praised the Nigerian community:
“Nigerians have been fantastic… my immediate circle of friends, ex-schoolmates, their friends, and all our families have really rallied around and been supportive.”
She further called on voters to help change perceptions, writing:
“Like you, I am sick and tired of reading that Nigerians are fraudsters, terrorists, bombing aeroplanes, or slaughtering each other in places like Jos…. This is a chance to have someone with real influence over British-Nigerian relations.”
Kemi dissociates self from Nigeria
Kemi's tone has shifted dramatically since then. In recent years, Badenoch has repeatedly painted a grim picture of Nigeria, calling her experience at Federal Government Girls College, Sagamu, “like being in prison.”
Source: Getty Images
In a widely shared video, she recounted:
“That was the first time that I was away from home… The machete was for cutting the grass. Well, because who else is going to cut the grass?”
Badenoch, born in London but raised partly in Lagos, also confessed to distancing herself from her Nigerian identity.
Speaking on a podcast last year, she said:
“I’m Nigerian through ancestry… but by identity I’m not really.”
In other statements, she described living in Lagos as growing up “in a place where fear was everywhere,” recalling moments of locking doors tightly and hearing neighbours being burgled.
Kemi claims children not Nigerians
During an interview on CNN, Badenoch decried gender inequality in Nigeria, noting that her children could not obtain Nigerian citizenship because she is a woman: “Not all cultures are equal… and I will not accept that.”
The Nigerian government has rebutted the claim by setting the record straight that Kemi and her children are Nigerians according to the provisions of the Nigerian constitution.
Reflecting on governance, she warned the UK could suffer similar setbacks to Nigeria if reforms are not pursued.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100… I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments,” she said earlier this year.
Badenoch says children can’t get Nigerian citizenship
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Badenoch said she cannot confer Nigerian citizenship on her children because of her gender.
Badenoch made the claim during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, where she compared Nigeria’s immigration policies with those of the UK, criticising what she described as British lenienc.
Source: Legit.ng
