UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has stirred backlash following her explosive remarks on Nigerian immigrants and British citizenship policies, claiming it’s “too easy” for Nigerians to acquire UK citizenship, a situation she vows to make more difficult under her leadership.
In a CNN interview on Sunday, Badenoch criticised what she described as Britain’s lenient immigration system, pointing fingers at Nigerians who, according to her, take undue advantage of the British pathway to citizenship.
“Loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period, acquiring British citizenship. We need to stop being naive,” she declared. “That is why under my leadership, we now have policies to make it harder to just get British citizenship. It has been too easy.”,
Her comments immediately sparked outrage, with many Nigerians calling her out for what they consider to be discriminatory, misleading, and an insult to her heritage.
Presidential aide Dada Olusegun wasted no time in responding. In a fiery post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, he accused Badenoch of deliberately misrepresenting Nigeria’s citizenship laws in a desperate attempt to score political points at the expense of her roots.
“Aunty @KemiBadenoch, why do you continue to lie against your motherland? Why this continuous, dangerous, and desperate attempt to malign Nigeria?” Olusegun asked.
He cited Chapter 3, Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, which clearly states that a person born outside Nigeria is a Nigerian citizen by birth if either parent is a Nigerian citizen, a clause that renders Badenoch’s claim about her inability to pass on her Nigerian citizenship to her children false.
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“It holds regardless of the father’s nationality. You do not need to apply for registration or naturalisation for the child to be a citizen,” he clarified.
Badenoch, who was born in the UK to Nigerian parents and spent part of her childhood in Lagos, had also opposed the idea of Nigerian immigrants recreating “mini-Nigerias” in the UK, saying such cultural enclaves would be unacceptable in many countries, including Nigeria.
Her remarks have reignited debates on immigration, integration, and dual identity, especially as she is viewed by many as a prominent face of African descent in British politics.
Legal experts also weighed in, affirming that Nigerian citizenship by birth is not only gender-neutral but also constitutionally protected. The Constitution allows Nigerians by birth to hold dual citizenship without forfeiting their Nigerian identity, a privilege not extended to naturalised citizens.
While Badenoch continues to rise within UK politics, her comments have triggered disappointment among Nigerians, both at home and in the diaspora, many of whom once viewed her as a symbol of global Nigerian excellence.
As the backlash intensifies, critics say the UK politician’s attempt to appear “tough on immigration” may have backfired, especially when rooted in misinformation about her own country’s laws.
