UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has again stirred debate over her firm immigration stance, claiming in a CNN interview on Sunday that her children are unable to obtain Nigerian citizenship because of her gender.
Badenoch, speaking with Fareed Zakaria, used her experience as a Nigerian-born Briton to contrast immigration policies between Nigeria and the United Kingdom. She argued that while the UK is lenient and frequently exploited by immigrants, countries like Nigeria enforce stricter rules.
“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,” she said.
However, legal experts and constitutional texts contradict her claim. According to Section 25(1)(c) of the Nigerian Constitution, any person born outside Nigeria to either a Nigerian father or mother is a citizen by birth—meaning her children are indeed eligible.
Badenoch, who was born in London in 1980 to Nigerian Yoruba parents and spent much of her childhood in Nigeria, is married to Scottish banker Hamish Badenoch and has three children.
The UK opposition leader used her personal story to argue that Britain’s immigration system is being abused. “We need to stop being naive,” she said, alleging that many immigrants exploit the UK’s hospitality and systems in ways that would be unacceptable in their home countries.
When asked if she would support the cultural replication of Nigeria within the UK—such as immigrants attempting to establish a “mini-Nigeria”—Badenoch responded firmly: “No. That is not right. Nigerians would not tolerate that. That’s not something that many countries would accept.”
“There are many people who come to our country, to the UK, who do things that would not be acceptable in their countries,” she added.
A known hardliner on immigration, Badenoch reaffirmed that acquiring British citizenship would become “a lot harder” under her leadership, as she continues to advocate for stricter immigration controls and cultural assimilation requirements.
Her comments have generated widespread reactions, with critics accusing her of misrepresenting Nigerian law and stoking anti-immigrant sentiment, while supporters view her as a necessary voice for reform in the UK’s immigration debate.