UK Conservative Party leader and Minister for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch, has stirred public debate after declaring she no longer identifies as Nigerian. Speaking on the Rosebud podcast, Badenoch said although she has Nigerian ancestry and was partly raised in the country, her identity is now fully British.
“I’m Nigerian through ancestry, by birth… but by identity, I’m not really,” she stated, adding that she has not held a Nigerian passport in over 20 years. According to Badenoch, her sense of belonging is rooted in her family in the UK and the values of the Conservative Party, which she describes as “home.”
The British-born politician also opened up about her difficult childhood in Nigeria, particularly her time at a federal government college, which she likened to a “prison.” She said the harsh environment deeply influenced her political views. Badenoch further noted that her transition to the UK wasn’t easy either, citing experiences with the “soft bigotry of low expectations” in British schools—something she says pushed her towards conservative ideology.
Born just before the UK’s 1981 citizenship policy shift, Badenoch is among the last to automatically receive British citizenship by birth. She recalled that discovering her British citizenship at the time felt like a “marvel” to others around her.
Her comments have since sparked wide-ranging reactions, particularly from Nigerians at home and abroad, with many debating her identity stance and criticism of the Nigerian education system.
