The Conservative Party leader in the United Kingdom, Kemi Badenoch, has reiterated her position on previous comments she made about Nigeria, insisting that she was not a PR for the country.
Badenoch’s latest comment followed her sharp criticism by Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, a few days ago for allegedly denigrating Nigeria, her country of origin.
Born in the UK but largely raised in Nigeria, Badenoch often highlighted the challenges she faced while growing up in Nigeria, describing the country as one plagued by “fear, insecurity, and corruption.”
LEADERSHIP reports that VP Shettima had on Monday accused Badenoch of denigrating Nigeria, suggesting she could “remove the Kemi from her name” if she was not proud of her Nigerian heritage. ‘Kemi’ is a Yoruba name commonly found in the South-West Nigeria.
The Vice President stated this during an event in Abuja highlighting the contributions of Nigerian immigrants to national development. He maintaining that while the Nigerian government was proud of Badenoch, her remarks about her nation of origin were unwarranted.
“She is entitled to her own opinions; she has even every right to remove the Kemi from her name, but that does not underscore the fact that the greatest black nation on earth is the nation called Nigeria,” Shettima said, drawing applause from the audience.
He contrasted Badenoch’s remarks with the approach of Rishi Sunak, the UK’s first prime minister of Indian heritage and others, calling him “a brilliant young man” who “never denigrated his nation of ancestry.”
But, in response to VP Shettima’s comments, Badenoch insisted on standing by her words, saying she had no intention of softening her statements. “I tell the truth. I tell it like it is. I am not going to couch my words,” she told reporters on Wednesday. “I am the leader of the opposition, and I am very proud of my leadership of the opposition in this country. I am not the PR for Nigeria.”
Badenoch’s past remarks, which often highlighted her experiences growing up in Nigeria, sparked debate in the UK and Nigeria.
