Presidential Aide Slams Kemi Badenoch Over Citizenship Remarks, Cites Constitutional Facts

A top aide to President Bola Tinubu, Dada Olusegun, has strongly criticised the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, over her recent remarks suggesting that Nigerian laws prevent her from passing citizenship to her children because she is a woman.

In a widely circulated interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Badenoch claimed that Nigerian citizenship laws are discriminatory, stating:

“I can’t give [Nigerian citizenship] to my children because I’m a woman… It’s virtually impossible to get Nigerian citizenship.”

Her comments have since sparked backlash from Nigerian officials and constitutional experts who argue that her statements are not only inaccurate but also misleading.Responding via his official handle on X (formerly Twitter), Olusegun accused Badenoch of attempting to malign Nigeria with falsehoods.

“Aunty @KemiBadenoch, why do you continue to lie against your motherland? Chapter 3, Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution clearly states that if a Nigerian woman is a citizen by birth, her children whether born in Nigeria or abroad are citizens by descent,” Olusegun wrote.

Legal experts and immigration authorities have also affirmed that Nigerian citizenship by birth is automatically granted to any child born to at least one Nigerian parent, regardless of gender. The Nigerian Constitution does not restrict this right based on whether the citizen parent is male or female.

Born in the United Kingdom to Nigerian parents, Badenoch spent her early years in Lagos before returning to the UK as a teenager. She is currently a prominent figure in British politics and a potential candidate for future leadership within the Conservative Party.

Observers believe Badenoch's statement was part of a broader political message advocating for stricter UK immigration laws by contrasting them with those of other countries. However, her remarks have now placed her under scrutiny for inaccurately portraying Nigeria’s constitutional provisions.

Experts have also clarified that while there are gender-related limitations in Nigeria’s naturalisation process for foreign spouses where women married to Nigerian men can more easily acquire citizenship than the reverse these do not apply to children born to Nigerian women.

Badenoch’s critics argue that as a public official of Nigerian descent, her statements should reflect a factual understanding of Nigerian law. The presidency has yet to issue an official statement beyond Olusegun's post, but government insiders suggest further clarification may follow.