The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has called out UK Conservative politician of Nigerian descent, Kemi Badenoch, over what she described as misleading claims about Nigerian women and citizenship rights.
In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Badenoch claimed she could not pass Nigerian citizenship to her children due to her gender, while discussing immigration laws and comparing policies in Britain with those of countries like Nigeria.
“It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship. I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents, I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman.”
During an interview on Hard Copy, a Channels Television programme, on Friday, Dabiri-Erewa faulted Badenoch’s controversial statement suggesting that women could not get Nigerian citizenship simply by giving birth.
“But that is not even true. And that is the problem I have. Don’t divulge false information. You go on international media and spew a lie. That is a lie. But that is not even true. And I’m sure people have responded. So my problem with that is that it is not true. So why tell us something that is not true? That is the problem I have with that,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa condemned Badenoch’s decision to air the claim publicly, saying, “When you denigrate your country, we’ll reply you. It’s not about me or the president or you. It’s about Nigeria. You can’t lie about your country then we keep quiet.
“You know the number of Nigerians we have in the UK in the political space that are doing very well. We don’t have to focus on one person,” she said.
Abike Dabiri Erewa praised Nigerians making positive impacts abroad and reaffirmed the commission’s dedication to supporting and celebrating them. She emphasized that diaspora engagement should be based on truth, responsibility, and patriotism.
