Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has strongly criticized British Conservative politician Kemi Badenoch for her remarks about Nigeria’s citizenship laws, telling her to focus on her adopted country rather than meddle in Nigeria’s affairs.
Badenoch, the United Kingdom Business and Trade Secretary who is of Nigerian descent, had claimed in a CNN interview with Fareed Zakaria that she cannot pass Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman.
“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,” Badenoch said. “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.”
Reacting sharply to these comments, Sani took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, questioning Badenoch’s sudden concern about Nigerian citizenship after what he described as her rejection of the country.
“Why should Kemi Badenoch be bothered about getting a Nigerian citizenship for her offspring from a country she rebuked and rejected?” Sani wrote. “She should just enjoy her adopted home and leave us alone in our father’s home.”
The exchange highlights ongoing debates about Nigeria’s citizenship laws, which currently do not automatically grant citizenship to children born abroad if only the mother is Nigerian—a policy that has drawn criticism for its gender disparity.
Badenoch, born in London to Nigerian parents, has risen through UK politics but has faced scrutiny over her stance on immigration and citizenship policies. Sani’s response reflects broader sentiments among some Nigerians who view her comments as hypocritical given her political positions in Britain.
