Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, has slammed Kemi Badenoch, a United Kingdom Conservative leader of Nigerian heritage, for making misleading statements regarding Nigerian women and their citizenship status.
In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Badenoch stated that she is unable to pass her Nigerian citizenship to her children due to her gender.
Badenoch spoke about immigration policies and the differences between Britain and countries such as 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 Channels Television’s Hard Copy on Friday, Dabiri-Erewa criticised Badenoch’s controversial statement that women could not obtain 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 berated Badenoch’s decision to air the claim publicly, saying, “When you denigrate your country, we’ll reply to you. It’s not about me or the president or you. It’s about Nigeria. You can’t lie about your country, and then we keep quiet.”
Dabiri-Erewa mentioned that the focus should not be on Badenoch alone, as many other Nigerians are making remarkable strides abroad.
“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.
She praised Nigerians for making significant contributions in the diaspora.
While acknowledging the numerous hardship instances involving Nigerians abroad, Dabiri-Erewa emphasised that the commission is still committed to protecting and celebrating Nigerians abroad.
She stated that diaspora engagement must be based on truth, accountability, and a strong sense of patriotism.
