Kemi Badenoch, leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, recently claimed during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that her children cannot become Nigerian citizens because she is a woman. That assertion, however, is false.
Speaking during the interview, Badenoch said, “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.”
The statement came as she tried to justify her hardline stance on immigration, arguing that Britain is more lenient than other countries such as Nigeria.
Okay.ng reports that Badenoch, who was born in the UK in 1980 to Nigerian Yoruba parents, was referencing Nigeria’s citizenship laws in the context of her children’s eligibility.
She claimed gender discrimination in Nigeria’s law disqualified her children from acquiring citizenship by birth through her.
However, the Nigerian Constitution clearly contradicts her claim.
According to Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), any person born outside Nigeria is a citizen of Nigeria by birth if either the father or the mother is a Nigerian. The law does not restrict that right based on the gender of the Nigerian parent.
The specific provision states: “Every person born outside Nigeria either of whose parents is a citizen of Nigeria is a citizen of Nigeria.”
This means that Badenoch’s children are entitled to Nigerian citizenship by virtue of her own citizenship, regardless of her gender.
Badenoch, who married Hamish Badenoch, a Scottish banker, has three children. Her statement has triggered widespread backlash, with critics accusing her of peddling misinformation to justify stricter immigration policies in the UK.
While she has become known for her hard stance on multiculturalism and immigration, her factual inaccuracy on such a sensitive issue has raised concerns about the credibility of her arguments.
As of now, there has been no official correction or apology from Badenoch or her team regarding the misleading claim.
Verdict: False. Under Nigerian law, children of a Nigerian woman are entitled to citizenship, just as those of a Nigerian man.
