Kemi Badenoch Sparks Controversy Over False Claim on Nigerian Citizenship Law

UK Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has stirred public backlash following controversial remarks about Nigerian citizenship laws during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.

Badenoch, who was born in the United Kingdom to Nigerian parents, claimed she is unable to pass Nigerian citizenship to her children simply because she is a woman.

“It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship,” she said. “I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents. I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman.”

She used the statement to argue that Nigeria’s immigration system is not only stricter than the UK’s but also discriminatory toward women. The politician, known for her hardline stance on immigration, insisted that the UK must tighten its own policies, claiming, “There are many people who come to our country, to the UK, who do things that would not be acceptable in their countries.”

However, legal experts and constitutional analysts have swiftly debunked her statement. According to Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, a child born outside Nigeria is entitled to Nigerian citizenship if either parent is a Nigerian citizen with no gender-based restriction.

Critics have accused Badenoch of misrepresenting Nigerian law to support her political narrative. Human rights lawyer, Barr. Funmi Adewumi, stated, “Her assertion is both factually incorrect and deeply misleading. Nigerian citizenship by descent is not determined by the parent’s gender.”

Badenoch’s comments have also sparked outrage among Nigerians at home and in the diaspora, many of whom view her remarks as an unjustified slight against Nigeria’s legal framework. Some have called on her to retract the statement and publicly correct the record.

Born in 1980, Badenoch spent part of her early life in Nigeria before returning to the UK at age 16. She currently has three children with her Scottish husband, Hamish Badenoch. Her recent remarks are the latest in a string of controversial positions that have drawn sharp criticism from both UK and international observers.

As the UK grapples with renewed debates over immigration and integration, Badenoch’s false claim has only added fuel to the fire and put her own understanding of her Nigerian heritage under scrutiny.