Kemi Badenoch, the British Conservative Party leader, has stated she no longer identifies as Nigerian, despite her Yoruba heritage and upbringing in Lagos, and has not renewed her Nigerian passport since the early 2000s. Speaking on Gyles Brandreth’s Rosebud podcast on August 1, 2025, Badenoch, who was born in London in 1980 and raised in Nigeria and the U.S. before returning to the UK at 16, said, “I’m Nigerian through ancestry, by birth, despite not being born there because of my parents, but by identity I’m not really.” She emphasized that her sense of home lies with her family in the UK, adding, “I know the country very well, I have a lot of family there, and I’m very interested in what happens there”.
Her comments sparked criticism from Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima in 2024, who accused her of “denigrating” Nigeria after she spoke about its corruption and insecurity.
Badenoch’s remarks reflect her complex relationship with Nigeria, shaped by a “tough upbringing” marked by economic instability and fear, which she said influenced her aversion to socialism. She recalled feeling disconnected in Nigeria, noting, “I remember never quite feeling that I belonged there,” and described returning to the UK in 1996 as finding “home.” Her decision to let her Nigerian passport lapse and the need for a visa during a 2022 visit for her father’s funeral underscored her detachment, per The Independent. While Badenoch’s stance has stirred debate, with some Nigerians viewing it as a rejection of heritage, her supporters argue it reflects her prioritization of her British identity and current family life.
