Kemi Badenoch, the UK’s Conservative Party leader, has reignited discussions on cultural identity and her connection to Nigeria after stating that she identifies more with her Yoruba heritage than the broader Nigerian entity.
The comments were made during an interview with The Spectator, a prominent British political and cultural magazine.
Born in the UK to Nigerian Yoruba parents, Badenoch spent much of her childhood in Nigeria before returning to the UK at 16.
In her latest remarks, she emphasized pride in her Yoruba ancestry, describing it as a source of her strong identity. She notably distanced herself from northern Nigeria, labeling it as culturally distinct and referencing historical tensions.
“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,” Badenoch said.
These remarks follow previous controversial statements about Nigeria, where she described the nation as fraught with corruption and insecurity.
Her criticisms have drawn sharp responses, including one from Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima, who suggested that she should abandon her Nigerian name if she no longer identifies with the country.
Her comments have also drawn backlash from Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Nigerian Minister of Aviation, who dismissed her views as irrelevant to Nigeria’s needs.
Badenoch’s statements have sparked widespread discussion about identity, ethnicity, and the complexities of diasporic connections to one’s country of origin.
