Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the UK Conservative Party, recently stated in an interview with The Spectator that she feels more connected to her Yoruba ethnic group than to the Nigerian entity.
This declaration has stirred up controversy, as it follows her previous criticisms of Nigeria’s governance and society.
Kemi Badenoch, who was born to Nigerian Yoruba parents in the UK and later married a Scottish banker, spent her formative years in Nigeria before moving to the UK at the age of 16.
Her comments about Nigeria being a socialist nation filled with corrupt politicians and insecurity have garnered mixed reactions, including Vice-President Kashim Shettima urging her to change her first name if she no longer identifies with her homeland.
While speaking to the Spectator, Kemi Badenoch said she had nothing in common with people from northern Nigeria, a region Vice-President Shettima hails from, adding that she is proud of her Yoruba ancestry, which has given her a very strong identity.
“I find it interesting that everybody defines me as being Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with the specific ethnicity (Yoruba. That’s what I really am.
“I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, Boko Haram area, where the Islamism is. Those were our ethnic enemies and yet you end up being lumped in with those people.
“Somebody once told me when I was very young that my surname was a name for people who were the warriors,” she said.
