Presidential aide slams Kemi Badenoch over false claim on Nigerian citizenship

Presidential aide Dada Olusegun has sharply criticised Kemi Badenoch, the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party leader and Secretary of State for Business and Trade, over her recent remarks on Nigerian citizenship, accusing her of misrepresenting Nigerian law and promoting a misleading narrative about her country of origin.

Badenoch, a British-born politician of Nigerian descent, stirred controversy during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS on Sunday, where she claimed that as a Nigerian woman, she cannot pass her citizenship on to her children. She made the statement while contrasting Nigeria’s citizenship laws with those of the United Kingdom.

Reacting on Monday via his official X handle, Dada Olusegun condemned the comments as false and damaging.

“Aunty @KemiBadenoch, why do you continue to lie against your motherland? Why this continuous, dangerous, and desperate attempt to malign Nigeria?” he wrote.

Citing the Nigerian Constitution, Olusegun explained that Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) clearly states that a person born outside Nigeria is a citizen by birth if either parent is a Nigerian citizen by birth, regardless of gender.

“This holds regardless of the father’s nationality. You do not need to apply for registration or naturalisation for her child to be a citizen,” Olusegun noted, accusing Badenoch of either being uninformed or deliberately misleading the public.

Badenoch, who was born in the UK to Nigerian parents and spent part of her childhood in Lagos before returning to the UK at age 16, is married to a Scottish banker and has three children.

Olusegun concluded his remarks by calling on public figures, especially those of Nigerian descent in influential positions, to be accurate and responsible in their public commentary, warning that misinformation can further entrench harmful stereotypes and create unnecessary tension.