United Kingdom Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has revealed that she no longer identifies with Nigeria, the country where she spent part of her childhood.
Speaking on the Rosebud Podcast on Friday, Badenoch disclosed that her connection to Nigeria has faded over the years and that she has not renewed her Nigerian passport in over two decades.
“I have not renewed my Nigerian passport, I think, not since the early 2000s,” she said. “I’ve never quite felt that I belonged there.”
Badenoch, who is widely regarded as one of the UK’s most prominent politicians of African descent, said the majority of her life and career has been rooted in Britain, where she feels fully at home.
“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 added.
While acknowledging that she still follows developments in Nigeria, Badenoch made it clear that her emotional and political allegiance lies firmly with the UK, where she lives with her family and serves alongside colleagues in the Conservative Party.
The 45-year-old politician, born in Wimbledon, South West London, also touched on the circumstances that led to her permanent return to the UK from Nigeria, describing it as a difficult decision prompted by her parents’ loss of faith in the country’s prospects.
“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.
