02/08/2025
UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has sparked controversy by stating she no longer identifies as Nigerian, despite her parents being of Yoruba descent.
In a recent interview on the Rosebud podcast, Badenoch explained that her sense of identity is now rooted in the United Kingdom, where she has spent most of her life.
Badenoch distinguishes between her Nigerian ancestry and her current identity, stating, "I'm Nigerian through ancestry... but by identity, I'm not really."
She hasn't renewed her Nigerian passport since the early 2000s and has British citizenship, which she acquired due to being born in the UK before the automatic birthright citizenship rule was revoked in 1981.
Badenoch considers her current family, including her husband, children, and the Conservative Party, as her core identity. "Home is where my now family is," she emphasized.
At 16, her parents sent her to the UK due to Nigeria's declining political and economic conditions, fearing for her future in the country. They told her, "There is no future for you in this country.
Badenoch's comments have ignited debates about national identity, citizenship, and belonging among diaspora communities.
