British politician and Leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has stirred conversation online following her blunt remarks about her time at Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Sagamu, in Ogun State, Nigeria, describing the experience as akin to being in prison.
In a video clip circulating on social media, Kemi Badenoch reflected on her secondary school days in Nigeria, painting a picture of tough living conditions and minimal comfort.
“I went to a secondary school, it was called a Federal Government Girls School in a place called Sagamu,” she said.
“And that was like being in prison. When I tell the stories about using a machete and having to fetch buckets of water…”
The UK politician, who spent part of her childhood in Nigeria, recounted how students were forced to cut grass with machetes, fetch water, and clean toilets with no running water—all without proper adult supervision.
“We needed to look after the school grounds. So using a machete, having to clean toilets with no running water… I’m not going to go into the description of that,” she added.
Describing the dormitory setup as overcrowded and unsupervised, she likened it to the chaos of the novel Lord of the Flies:
“It was a dormitory with about 150 [girls], I think 20 to 30 in a room… It was like Lord of the Flies, the students were in control.”
Kemi Badenoch also touched on Nigeria’s former socialist educational policy, where students were posted to schools far from home to ensure national integration and academic balance.
Kemi Badenoch’s remarks have sparked mixed reactions, especially considering her recent statements distancing herself from Nigeria. Critics argue her comments reflect a consistent trend of disparaging her roots, while others see it as a raw and honest account of the conditions many students in federal schools face.
