{"id":1988,"date":"2025-08-02T05:37:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T05:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/?p=1988"},"modified":"2025-08-02T05:37:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T05:37:26","slug":"kemi-badenoch-no-longer-regards-herself-as-a-nigerian-inspite-of-her-complexion-and-the-dialectal-name-kemi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/kemi-badenoch-no-longer-regards-herself-as-a-nigerian-inspite-of-her-complexion-and-the-dialectal-name-kemi\/","title":{"rendered":"Kemi Badenoch no longer regards herself as a Nigerian, inspite of her complexion and the dialectal name – ‘Kemi’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kemi Badenoch Distances Herself from Nigerian Identity, Declares UK Her True Home<\/strong><\/p>\n

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British Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch has publicly stated that she no longer identifies as Nigerian, describing her ties to the West African country as ancestral rather than personal. Speaking candidly on the Rosebud<\/em> podcast, the prominent Tory politician reflected on her evolving sense of identity and her strong attachment to the UK, which she now calls her true home.<\/p>\n

Born in Wimbledon in 1980 to Nigerian parents and raised in Lagos, Badenoch revealed she has not held a Nigerian passport for over two decades. \u201cI have not renewed my Nigerian passport, I think, not since the early 2000s,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t identify with it any more, most of my life has been in the UK and I\u2019ve just never felt the need to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite her Yoruba heritage and deep familial connections to Nigeria, Badenoch expressed a clear shift away from the identity she once embraced. \u201cI\u2019m Nigerian through ancestry, by birth despite not being born there because of my parents, but by identity I\u2019m not really,\u201d she said. \u201cI know the country very well, I have a lot of family there, and I\u2019m very interested in what happens there. But home is where my now family is, and my now family is my children, it\u2019s my husband and my brother and his children, in-laws.\u201d<\/p>\n

She recounted her last visit to Nigeria in 2022, which was for the burial of her father, Dr Femi Adegoke. The journey, she explained, required a visa and involved what she described as a \u201cbig fandango,\u201d highlighting her practical disconnect from Nigerian citizenship.<\/p>\n

Badenoch also shared reflections on her childhood in Lagos, noting that although she felt both British and Nigerian growing up, her parents encouraged her to seek a future elsewhere. \u201cThe reason that I came back here was actually a very sad one, and it was that my parents thought, \u2018There is no future for you in this country\u2019,\u201d she said. \u201cI remember never quite feeling that I belonged there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now a senior member of the Conservative Party and often mentioned as a potential future leader, Badenoch described the party as her \u201cextended family.\u201d She said, \u201cIt\u2019s instinct, we recognise each other, we have the same sort of squabbles\u2026 Anybody who\u2019s got an extended family with lots of drama will recognise that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her stance on Nigeria has not gone without controversy. She has previously drawn criticism for her remarks on the country’s corruption and history of military rule. In December, Nigeria\u2019s vice president suggested that if Badenoch was not proud of her Nigerian heritage, she could drop her first name altogether. Her spokesperson responded at the time, asserting that Badenoch \u201cstands by what she says\u201d and \u201cis not the PR for Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having moved to the UK at age 16 to pursue her studies, Badenoch told the podcast that her experience in Britain has often defied racial expectations. \u201cI did not experience prejudice in any meaningful form\u2026 That doesn\u2019t mean prejudice doesn\u2019t exist\u2026 But I didn\u2019t, not seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Badenoch continues to rise in British politics, her comments reflect a broader conversation about identity, heritage, and belonging\u2014one that resonates far beyond the corridors of Westminster.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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