Nigerian officials, netizens down UK’s Conservative leader for misleading remarks on citizenship

The leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has come under fire following her controversial remarks about Nigerian citizenship laws, which legal experts and government officials have described as misleading and factually incorrect. Speaking during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Badenoch claimed that she was unable to pass on her […]

The leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has come under fire following her controversial remarks about Nigerian citizenship laws, which legal experts and government officials have described as misleading and factually incorrect.

Speaking during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Badenoch claimed that she was unable to pass on her Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman.

The 45-year-old British politician, who was born to Nigerian parents and spent part of her childhood in Lagos before returning to the UK at age 16, used her children’s alleged ineligibility for Nigerian citizenship to highlight what she described as disparities in global immigration systems.

“I have that (Nigerian) citizenship by virtue of my parents, but I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman,” she said.

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She further argued that while many Nigerians easily acquire British citizenship, it remains “virtually impossible to obtain Nigerian citizenship.”

“Yet loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period of time, acquiring British citizenship. We need to stop being naive,” she added.

Badenoch, who is married to Scottish banker Hamish Badenoch, has three children. She has consistently advocated for stricter immigration controls in the UK, often citing what she perceives as lenient policies that allow foreigners to exploit the system.

“We are allowing our tolerance to be exploited. That is not right,” she said.

“Nigerians would not tolerate that. That’s not something that many countries would accept.

There are many people who come to our country, to the UK, who do things that would not be acceptable in their countries,” she added.

Her comments have since drawn sharp criticism from Nigerian officials and legal experts, who insist that her claims are not supported by the Nigerian Constitution.

 

Experts point to constitutional provisions and gender equality

Presidential aide Dada Olusegun swiftly responded, accusing Badenoch of deliberately misrepresenting Nigeria’s laws and attempting to malign her country of origin.

“Aunty @KemiBadenoch, why do you continue to lie against your motherland? Why this continuous, dangerous, and desperate attempt to malign Nigeria?” Olusegun posted via his verified X handle.

Citing Chapter 3, Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, he wrote:

“If the Nigerian woman is a citizen by birth, her children, whether born in Nigeria or abroad, are Nigerian citizens by descent, automatically under Section 25 of the Constitution. This holds regardless of the father’s nationality. You do not need to apply for registration or naturalisation for her child to be a citizen.”

Prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) described Badenoch’s assertions as a display of “utter ignorance” of Nigeria’s legal framework.

“Contrary to Kemi Badenoch’s misleading claim, her children are Nigerians because she is a Nigerian,” Falana said.

“Her assertion that she cannot give Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman is not in consonance with Section 25(b) and (c) of the Nigerian Constitution…”

Falana also cited Section 42(2), which prohibits discrimination based on birth circumstances, gender, or social status.

“No citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any disability or deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances of his birth, gender, political opinion or class,” he explained.

He noted that Badenoch’s children are dual citizens of Nigeria and the UK, adding:

“It is up to the children to renounce their Nigerian citizenship upon the attainment of full age in accordance with Section 29 of the Nigerian Constitution.”

On her claim that Nigerian citizenship is “virtually impossible” to obtain, Falana pointed to Sections 26 and 27 of the Constitution, which outline the pathways to citizenship through registration and naturalisation.

He acknowledged, however, that Nigeria’s laws retain some gender bias in the treatment of foreign spouses. “A woman who is married to a Nigerian man is qualified for registration as a citizen. But the same right is not accorded to a man who is married to a Nigerian woman because of the patriarchal nature of the society,” he noted.

Badenoch’s remarks have reignited debate on gender parity, legal literacy, and the responsibility of public figures to accurately represent their countries — especially in global conversations. As critics call for a retraction or clarification, her claims continue to stir reactions across the legal and diplomatic communities in Nigeria.

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, joined the fray with a scathing remark: “Britain should send our lost daughter Kemi Badenoch home for a proper re-education. Thanks to Shola Shogbamimu for enlightening the Tory politician. Section 25 of our constitution defines who has the right to Nigerian citizenship. Kemi Badenoch lied. She owes her fatherland some apology.”

 

Netizens react…

Senator Shehu Sani, via X (formerly Twitter), wrote:

“Why should Kemi Badenoch be bothered about getting Nigerian citizenship for her offspring from a country she rebuked and rejected?… She should just enjoy her adopted home and leave us alone in our father’s home.”

Online users were equally vocal. Imran Muhammad (@Imranmuhdz) stated:

“Kemi Badenoch is trying to be politically correct because she knows she has been this hard-right Conservative person and she’s been using anti-immigration rhetoric to be more British than the British… why does she want her children to be citizens of Nigeria?”

Godwin Kelechi, writing on Facebook, added:

“I have no problem with her because she has issues with the institution called ‘Nigeria,’ but using her position to frustrate struggling Nigerians is uncalled for. Think wider.”

Moses Jide commented:

“It is shameful that Madam Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch didn’t read and know what the Nigerian constitution says… The law says a child/children can become a citizen through either of their parents either father or mother.”

Ahmad Haroun was blunt:

“No matter how she tried to become prime minister, the king will never allow her.”

TruthTribe, however, offered a counterpoint:

“Without promoting irresponsibility, I find Kemi Badenoch’s stance absolutely valid… She owes her adopted country… a duty to act in its best interest, always… Being angry at someone for protecting a country that didn’t leave her begging to survive is either ignorance or a failure to understand how developed nations condition their people to always put country first.”