Leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she no longer identifies with Nigeria, her country of ancestral origin.
Speaking on the Rosebud podcast hosted by Gyles Brandreth on Friday, Badenoch reflected on her Nigerian roots and evolving sense of identity.
“I have not renewed my Nigerian passport; I think not since the early 2000s. I don’t identify with it \[Nigeria] anymore; most of my life has been in the UK, and I’ve just never felt the need to,” she said.
The UK minister explained that while her Nigerian heritage remains part of her history, it no longer defines her identity.
“When my dad died I had to get a visa to go to Nigeria. Because I’m Nigerian through ancestry, by birth despite not being born there because of my parents, but by identity I’m not really.”
Badenoch says sense of belonging now lies in the UK
Although she acknowledged her familiarity with the country and close family ties, Badenoch made it clear that her sense of belonging now lies in the UK.
“I know the country very well, I have a lot of family there, and I’m very interested in what happens there,” she said.
“Home is where my now family is, and my now family is my children; it’s my husband and my brother and his children and in-laws. The Conservative Party is very much part of my family, my extended family, I call it.”
Badenoch also shared that her return to the UK at age 16 was driven by her parents’ fears about her prospects in Nigeria.
“I think the reason that I came back here was actually a very sad one, and it was that my parents thought, ‘There is no future for you in this country,” she said.
