Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, has highlighted what she calls a gender-based disparity in Nigeria’s citizenship laws, contrasting it with Britain’s more lenient immigration policies.
Speaking in a CNN interview with Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Badenoch revealed that her children cannot inherit Nigerian citizenship from her because she is a woman—despite her own Nigerian heritage. She used this example to argue that the UK should toughen its immigration rules, accusing some migrants of exploiting the system.
Nigerians Wouldn’t Tolerate This in Their Country
When asked whether she would support Nigerian immigrants creating a “mini-Nigeria” in the UK for cultural integration, Badenoch firmly rejected the idea.
“That is not right. Nigerians would not tolerate that. That’s not something that many countries would accept,”* she said. *“There are many people who come to our country, to the UK, who do things that would not be acceptable in their countries.”
To emphasize her point, she cited her personal experience: “It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship. I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents, but I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman. Yet loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period of time, acquire British citizenship. We need to stop being naive.”
Fact Check: Does Nigerian Law Really Bar Maternal Citizenship?
Contrary to Badenoch’s claim, Section 25(1)(c) of the Nigerian Constitution states that a person born outside Nigeria is automatically a citizen if *either* parent is Nigerian—regardless of gender. This means her children should, in theory, qualify for Nigerian citizenship through her.
Born in the UK in 1980 to Nigerian Yoruba parents, Badenoch (née Olukemi Adegoke) spent much of her childhood in Nigeria before returning to Britain at 16. She later married Hamish Badenoch, a Scottish banker, and adopted his surname.
A Hardline Stance on Immigration
Badenoch’s political rise has been fueled by her tough stance on immigration. As a cabinet minister under former Prime Ministers Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak (2022-2024), she advocated stricter border controls. In her CNN make it *“a lot harder to obtain British citizenship if she becomes Prime Minister.
Her comments come amid growing debate in the UK over immigration policy, with critics accusing her of oversimplifying complex issues. Meanwhile, her remarks on Nigerian citizenship have sparked discussions about gender equality in nationality laws—even as legal experts point out that her interpretation of Nigeria’s constitution may be flawed.
As Badenoch positions herself as a potential future UK leader, her views on immigration and citizenship are likely to remain central to her political platform.
