United Kingdom Conservative Party leader and Business Secretary, Kemi Badenoch has declared that she no longer identifies with her ancestral homeland, Nigeria, stating that the UK is now her home in every sense of the word.
Speaking in an interview on the Rosebud podcast hosted by Gyles Brandreth on Friday, Badenoch opened up about her personal identity, family, and her emotional detachment from Nigeria, despite her heritage.
“I have not renewed my Nigerian passport; I think not since the early 2000s. I don’t identify with it (Nigeria) anymore; most of my life has been in the UK, and I’ve just never felt the need to,” Badenoch said.
She recounted that during her father’s passing, she had to obtain a visa to travel to Nigeria. While she acknowledged being Nigerian by ancestry and parental lineage, she emphasised that her identity has long since shifted.
“When my dad died, I had to get a visa to go to Nigeria. Because I’m Nigerian through ancestry, by birth despite not being born there because of my parents, but by identity, I’m not really,” she explained.
Despite this disconnection, Badenoch said her interest in Nigeria remains strong, particularly because of her family ties.
“I know the country very well, I have a lot of family there, and I’m very interested in what happens there,” she added.
Reflecting on her sense of belonging, Badenoch was clear that her current reality is rooted in Britain.
“Home is where my now family is, and my now family is my children; it’s my husband and my brother and his children and in-laws. The Conservative Party is very much part of my family, my extended family, I call it.”
She also recalled the circumstances under which she left Nigeria for the UK at age 16, describing it as a decision driven by her parents’ loss of hope in the country’s future.
“I think the reason that I came back here was actually a very sad one, and it was that my parents thought, ‘There is no future for you in this country.’”
