Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has criticized United Kingdom Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, following her remarks about Nigeria’s citizenship laws during an interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN.
Badenoch, who was born in the UK to Nigerian parents, stated during the interview that Nigerian citizenship laws are discriminatory against women, revealing that she cannot transfer her Nigerian citizenship to her children due to her gender.
“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.
Yet loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period of time, acquire British citizenship. We need to stop being naive,” she said.
In response, Shehu Sani took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday to express his disapproval, questioning why Badenoch should be concerned about Nigerian citizenship after turning her back on the country.
“Why should Kemi Badenoch be bothered about getting a Nigerian citizenship for her offspring from a country she rebuked and rejected? She should just enjoy her adopted home and leave us alone in our father’s home,” Sani wrote.
Kemi Badenoch, who spent part of her early years in Lagos before moving back to the UK at age 16, is married to Scottish banker Hamish Badenoch and has three children.
Her comments have continued to draw mixed reactions from both sides of the Atlantic.
