VP Shettima blasts UK conservative leader Kemi Badenoch for ‘denigrating’ Nigeria

• Badenoch had described Nigeria as a nation plagued by corruption, insecurity, and poverty
• Shettima emphasised the contributions of migrants to global societies and the significance of Nigeria as a leading African nation
  

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Vice-President Kashim Shettima has criticised Kemi Badenoch, the leader of United Kingdom’s Conservative Party over her remarks denigrating Nigeria, her country of origin.

Badenoch who was born in the UK to Nigerian parents spent her childhood in Nigeria before returning to the UK at age 16. During her campaign for Conservative Party leadership, she described Nigeria as a nation plagued by corruption, insecurity, and poverty.

“This is my country. I don’t want it to become like the place I ran away from,” Badenoch had said.

She accused Nigerian politicians of using public funds for personal gains and characterised the country as “a socialist nation” full of broken dreams.

“I grew up in a place where fear was everywhere. You cannot understand it unless you’ve lived it. Triple checking that all the doors and windows are locked, waking up in the night at every sound, listening as you hear your neighbours scream as they are being burgled and beaten, wondering if your home would be next,” she added.

Speaking at the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the State House in Abuja on Monday, Shettima countered Badenoch’s comments, emphasising the contributions of migrants to global societies and the significance of Nigeria as a leading African nation.

“Rishi Sunak, the former British Prime Minister, originally from India, never denigrated his nation of ancestry nor poured venom on India,” Shettima said.

Addressing Badenoch directly, he stated, “Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the British Labour or Conservative Party, is someone we are proud of despite her efforts at denigrating her nation of origin. She is entitled to her opinions; she even has every right to remove the ‘Kemi’ from her name. But that does not change the fact that the greatest Black nation on earth is Nigeria.”

Shettima highlighted Nigeria’s global significance, noting, “One out of every three or four Black men is a Nigerian. By 2050, Nigeria will support the United States as the third most populous nation on earth.”