Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has faulted UK Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, over her claim that Nigerian law prevents her from passing citizenship to her children because she is a woman.
Mrs Badenoch had said in a recent interview that she could not transfer her Nigerian citizenship to her children, stating, “It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship. I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents. I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman.”
Mrs Dabiri-Erewa, speaking on a Channels Television programme on Friday, described the claim as “entirely untrue” and “misleading.
“But that is not true. Don’t divulge false information. You go on international media and spin a lie, that is a lie, that is not even true. And I’m sure people have responded,” she said.
Quoting Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, Dabiri-Erewa explained that any person born outside Nigeria is entitled to citizenship if either parent is Nigerian.
She said, “It’s not true, so why tell us something that is not true? Do you know the number of Nigerians we have in the UK in the political space who are doing very well? We don’t have to focus on one person, but when you denigrate your country, we reply to you.”
“It’s not about me, or the President, or you, it’s about Nigeria. You can’t lie about your country, and then we keep quiet. There are many who are doing very well politically. So ours is to continue to work with every Nigerian in the diaspora, but you can’t force anybody.”
Badenoch’s comments have been criticised by several Nigerians, including human rights lawyer Femi Falana, who called her statement “a display of utter ignorance” and accused her of misleading the British public for political gain.
This is not the first time Badenoch has faced criticism for her remarks about Nigeria.
In December 2024, Vice-President Kashim Shettima publicly rebuked her for “denigrating her country of origin.”
She was also accused of referring to Northern Nigerians as “ethnic enemies” and once claimed that police officers in Nigeria stole her brother’s shoes and wristwatch.
In response, the Nigerian presidency dismissed her allegations as a “cock and bull” story, while former minister Femi Fani-Kayode accused her of hypocrisy.
Born in London in 1980, Badenoch spent her childhood in Nigeria and the United States before returning to the UK at age 16.
She was elected leader of the UK Conservative Party in November 2025, becoming the first black leader of a UK-wide political party after defeating Robert Jenrick in a two-way contest.