A close aide to President Bola Tinubu, Dada Olusegun sharply criticised UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch after her recent remarks suggesting that, as a woman, she could not pass her Nigerian citizenship to her children.
Badenoch, in a CNN interview with Fareed Zakaria, stated: “It’s virtually impossible … 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”
She contrasted Nigeria to the UK, saying many Nigerians obtain British citizenship easily.
Responding swiftly on X (formerly Twitter), Tinubu’s social media aide, Dada Olusegun, accused Badenoch of “deliberately misrepresenting Nigerian laws” in an attempt to malign the country.
He emphasized that under Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, “If the Nigerian woman is a citizen by birth, her children, whether born in Nigeria or abroad, are Nigerian citizens by descent regardless of the father’s nationality.” No registration or naturalisation is required
Legal experts and local news outlets also refuted Badenoch’s statement. Nigeria’s constitution offers citizenship equally through either parent, without gender bias
FBayo Onanuga, spokesman for the Tinubu government called on British authorities to “send our lost daughter Kemi Badenoch home for a proper re‑education” regarding citizenship laws, controversially referring to her as a “liar” who “owes her fatherland some apology”
Badenoch’s comments have added fuel to an ongoing debate over identity, citizenship, and gender rights among diaspora Nigerians.
Critics argue her statements distort Nigerian law and reinforce false narratives about Nigeria’s legal system.
Meanwhile, the government’s vigorous defence reaffirms the inclusiveness of national citizenship laws and underscores political sensitivity surrounding gender equality, identity, and expatriate narratives.
