Former presidential aide and prominent media personality, Reuben Abati, has strongly criticized British politician Kemi Badenoch, labeling her a hypocrite for lamenting difficulties in transferring her Nigerian citizenship to her children while simultaneously promoting anti-immigration rhetoric in the UK.
Badenoch, who currently leads the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, claimed during a CNN interview with Fareed Zakaria on Sunday that she cannot confer her Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman. She made these remarks while comparing immigration policies between Nigeria and Britain.
During the interview, Badenoch suggested that immigrants often exploit the British system in ways they would not attempt in their home countries, using her children's inability to obtain Nigerian citizenship as an example.
Speaking on Arise TV's Morning Show, Abati did not hold back in his assessment of Badenoch's comments: "She knows she has been this hard-right Conservative person and has been using anti-immigration rhetoric to be more British than the British."
"I think it is the height of hypocrisy that she thinks her children should take Nigerian citizenship," Abati continued. "She says we are not good in Nigeria, so why does she want her children to be citizens of Nigeria?"
Badenoch, who has Nigerian heritage, has faced criticism from various Nigerian public figures for what they perceive as contradictory positions on immigration and citizenship rights. Her recent rise to leadership of the UK Conservative Party has placed increased scrutiny on her statements regarding her Nigerian background.
This controversy highlights the complex relationship between diaspora Nigerians in positions of political power abroad and their connections to their homeland, particularly when navigating dual citizenship issues and immigration policies.
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