Kemi Badenoch’s imperial loyalty and the politics of immigration by Oluwafemi Popoola

The Nigerian social media has been abuzz lately, fueled by a whirlwind of headline-grabbing issues, sparking public debate. From the scandalous leaked escapades of Baltazar Ebang Engonga from distant Equatorial Guinea, to the comedic, minute by minute collapse of the National grid, and the recent comments from Kemi Badenoch, the newly elected leader of the UK Conservative Party, there’s no shortage of drama.

However, what piqued my interest the most were Badenoch’s remarks. In a statement that can only be described as audacious, the 44 year old has once again placed herself at the epicenter of controversy.

Badenoch’s recent declaration that developing countries should stop exploiting British guilt over colonialism for reparations has sparked a storm of reactions, especially among Nigerians.

One might think that someone with roots in a country deeply scarred by colonial legacies would have a more nuanced understanding, but alas, Kemi continues to prove otherwise.

Kemi Adegoke Badenoch is a British politician. Born in London and raised in Nigeria, returning to Britain when she was 16. Kemi previously had served at the Secretary of State for Business and Trade who this month became the first black woman and the fourth woman to lead a major a UK party.

• Kemi Badenoch becomes first African leader of UK Conservative Party

In her first parliamentary speech, in 2017, she declared, “To all intents and purposes, I am a first-generation immigrant.” Ironically, she will now lead a party that has struck an increasingly harsh tone on immigration, a shift that mirrors her own changed views on the subject.

For those who are familiar with Badenoch’s track record, her recent statement is hardly a revelation. Her knack for dismissing centuries of historical exploitation with the same nonchalance as one might flick a speck of dust off their shoulder has become a defining feature of her political persona. But this latest declaration might just top the charts.

“There are many countries now who want to use guilt to try and exploit the UK. They asked for reparation. I saw it as a trade minister. It is not a culture war,” Badenoch had claimed in a now viral video that has been making rounds on the internet.

The moment she echoed the guilt statement exonerating Britain from Africa’s woes, the Brits listeners nodded vigorously, clutching their pearls as she further outlined how she bravely defended the British Empire’s legacy at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“Those guys nodding their head, thinking this is a good slave”, one anonymous X subscriber had tweeted in reaction to the video. Well, who could have imagined that centuries of exploitation, oppression, and theft by Britain and his cohorts could be so easily dismissed?

Again. According to Badenoch, some anonymous minister dared to suggest that the West should show a little humility and offer developing nations time to progress—an idea she promptly labeled a “scam.”

In her view, Britain must not fall for such “tricks.” “We need to make sure we put this country first, we work well with our neighbours, we work well with other countries. But we have to look after ourselves,” she declared, as if the Empire had ever shown such selfless consideration for “other countries” while it plundered its colonies.

It’s perplexing how Badenock’s upbringing in Nigeria, despite her British birth, might have shaped her unique perspective on this topic. To put this mildly, reactions have ranged from disbelief to indignation, with many wondering whether Badenoch’s statements reflect her genuine beliefs or a calculated move to solidify her base.

What seems to be obvious is that Kemi is trying to distance herself from her heritage to fit into the Conservative mold. One can’t help but wonder what her ancestors would think of her remarks. The irony of a politician with ancestral roots in Nigeria championing an argument that minimizes the lingering impact of colonial rule is not lost on anyone familiar with the generational consequences of that history.

And then there’s the cherry on top of this absurd sundae: her insistence that the British Empire ended slavery and the Atlantic slave trade. “There are many things the British Empire got wrong but there are many amazing things the British Empire also did. We need to be honest about it and stop pretending that it was all bad. The British Empire ended slavery, the Atlantic slave trade. We need to talk about that more,” she insisted

This is a historical revisionism that would make any historian weep. Kemi’s musings are almost a masterclass in political acrobatics. The cognitive leap it takes to praise an empire for abolishing a trade it spearheaded is enough to make heads spin.

While it’s true that the British Empire played a role in abolishing slavery, it’s also crucial to acknowledge that it was the very same empire that profited from the enslavement of millions of individuals, leaving enduring scars on societies around the world. But why focus on the complexities of history when you can cherry-pick the good bits to support your argument?

Predictably, her remarks have prompted sharp responses, especially from Nigerians who view her statements as a betrayal of shared history. Accusations that Badenoch is “throwing her country under the carpet” are now making rounds in both traditional and social media.

But Kemi is no stranger to stirring the pot. In April, she drew ire with her assertion that the UK’s economic success was not solely due to colonialism or racial privilege. “It worries me when I hear people talk about wealth and success in the UK as being down to colonialism or imperialism or white privilege or whatever,” she said, with a handwave to the meticulously documented impacts of these forces. For Badenoch, colonial history is a footnote, an inconvenient detail overshadowed by what she perceives as British industriousness.

Her philosophy: developing countries need to stop crying over spilt colonial tea and get on with it. After all, as she sees it, if they “do not understand how the West became rich, they cannot follow in its footsteps.” Kemi, of course, offered no further elaboration on this roadmap to Western-style prosperity—a plan that, if history is any guide, might involve a century or two of resource extraction, forced labor, and imposed dependency.

Even before her ascension to leadership, Badenoch’s speeches were peppered with sharp criticisms of African politicians. During her campaign to succeed Boris Johnson in July 2022, she accused Nigerian leaders of treating public coffers as “private piggy banks” and polluting the political system with “failures to serve the people.”

Badenoch didn’t mince words when lambasting Nigerian politicians for their corruption and self-serving politics. “I grew up in Nigeria and I saw first-hand what happens when politicians are in for themselves,” she said, painting an image of a dysfunctional society that conveniently underscores why she left for the greener pastures of Britain. Her critiques struck a chord with some who share her disdain for Nigeria’s leadership.

It’s worth noting that Badenoch herself grew up in Nigeria and often invokes this personal history as the linchpin for her credibility on African issues. But whether this lived experience translates to empathy or a deeper understanding of colonial repercussions is, to put it politely, questionable.

But for now, only time will tell whether this new chapter in her UK career will lead to meaningful policy or serve merely as another headline-grabbing controversy. One can only hope that the white supremacist elements she seems so eager to court don’t one day show her where she belongs when her usefulness expires. After all, history has precedents for this kind of turnabout, and Kemi Badenoch’s story may be no exception.

Popoola is a Journalist. He writes from Ibadan.