British Conservative leader sparks controversy with remarks on Nigeria

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK Conservative Party, has sparked controversy after making disparaging remarks about Nigeria, the home country of her parents.

In a recent interview, Badenoch dissociated herself from Nigeria.

“I identify more as an ethnic Yoruba rather than a Nigerian, “she said, noting that she would never be associated with northerners whom she said are apologists of the Boko Haram insurgency. The British politician also addressed the question of corruption in Nigeria, describing a lived experience in which the Nigerian police stole from her brother.

“I grew up in Nigeria, and I saw firsthand what happens when politicians are in it for themselves, when they use public money as their private piggy banks, when they pollute the whole political atmosphere with their failure to serve others,” Badenoch said.

“The police in Nigeria will rob us. When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m Black, I say well … I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch,” she said, and immediately contrasted it with the British police which she presented in rather glowing terms.

Her remarks have sparked reactions from across the Nigerian political spectrum, and even from the leadership of the Church.

The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, while acknowledging the problems Nigeria faces as a country, blasted the British politician for seeking to divide Nigeria along ethnic and religious lines.

“This is dangerous rhetoric coming from a political leader in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural country,” Kaigama said in a statement sent to Crux.

“Such a narrative might be excusable from a foreigner, but here we have a Nigerian pandering to the sentiments of her adopted country, essentially saying what they want to hear … Nigeria’s strength lies in its diversity — over 250 ethnic groups and multiple religions coexisting under one flag. Reducing a region and its people to a single negative label is not just inaccurate but harmful, as it reinforces stereotypes that undermine national unity and mutual understanding,” the archbishop said.

Rufai Oseni, a Nigerian journalist, said Badenoch’s attempt to stoke ethnic rivalries in Nigeria is meant to attract sympathy from white British nationalists whose votes she needs.

He said white nationalists still believe in colonialism, and by presenting Nigeria in such negative light, “Kemi feeds into their mentality by doing something that is called ‘confirmation bias’: That the Black people that you subjugated over the years is backward, so it’s good for her to say these bad things about Nigeria so that the white nationalists and supremacists she is courting their votes will continue to support her.”

Even Nigerian vice president Kashim Stettima has hit back at Badenoch, accusing her of “denigrating her country of origin.” The vice president contrasted her conduct with that of former British Prime Minster of South Asian origin, Rishi Sunak, whom he described as a “brilliant young man, he never denigrated his nation of ancestry.”

But the Director of the Catholic-inspired NGO, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety said Badenoch only spoke the hard truth about Nigeria.

“She’s not far from the truth,” said Emeka Umeagbalasi in reference to Badenoch’s take on corruption in Nigeria.

He told Crux that Nigeria’s political leaders are so corrupt that it is hard “to find somebody who is honest or who lives an honest life in Nigeria, because politicians have clearly become chameleonic, liars and propagandists, living very immoral lives.”

But the Bishop of Sokoto, Mathew Hassan Kukah, said the focus should be more on the achievements Kemi Badenoch has made, being the first Black woman to lead a major political party in the UK.

“Against the run of play, she is today the Leader of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom, and Leader of the Opposition. Coming from a background where patriarchy holds supreme, many men are still holding their breath. After over a hundred years of presence, no Black person has accomplished anything close to this. The drums ought to roll out,” Kukah said.

“There is a need to pause and remember. This is the Conservative Party of Margaret Thatcher. This is the party that celebrates its 190th anniversary this year. To ascend to the top of this Party at the age of 44 is by any measure, an historic achievement. To do so as a woman and a Black woman at that, the daughter of immigrants, and a wife and a mother, is worthy of celebration,” the bishop continued.

Kukah suggested that the British political leader was spot-on on her criticism of the ferment in Nigeria, noting that Nigerians should indeed be “worried about the corruption that has become a swamp out of which we have been unable to swim.”

“I am surprised that even some of her critics who have cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have found it convenient to condemn her for calling out Nigeria’s cancer of corruption. Nigeria’s dirty laundry will not be cleaned by outsiders or by self-deceit. From where she stands today, as a former Secretary of State for International Trade, Kemi likely knows more about the state of our sleaze than even we are prepared to admit,” the bishop said.

However, Kaigama argues that in as much as these issues are alive in Nigeria, there should be tact in the way Nigerians speak about their own country.

“Mrs. Badenoch’s comments are a warning to all Nigerians, both domestically and outside,” the archbishop said.  He explained that growth would require “constructive criticism.”

“It is worth noting that narratives about Nigeria, or any country, are often influenced by those who control the global conversation. For every criticism, there should be an equal effort to highlight the country’s resilience, cultural richness, and untapped potential. A nation’s story is multifaceted, and no single aspect should define it. The demonization of our country should not be a prerequisite to winning a leadership contest of a political party in a foreign land and if it is, one cannot expect any self-respecting Nigerian to applaud it,” Kaigama said.

He urged Nigerians to take control of the narrative about their country.

“From the halls of Westminster to the streets of Lagos, every Nigerian has a role in shaping the image of the country. While acknowledging our flaws, we must also celebrate our strengths, countering negativity with hope and progress,” Kaigama said.