Kemi Badenoch, the UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade, has defended her remarks about Nigeria after Vice President Kashim Shettima criticized her statements, accusing her of undermining her heritage.
Badenoch, who was born in Wimbledon, UK, but spent much of her youth in Lagos, Nigeria, has often spoken candidly about the challenges she faced growing up in a country she describes as riddled with corruption and instability.
During a recent address, Shettima suggested Badenoch should consider “removing Kemi from her name” if she felt no pride in her Nigerian roots. He expressed disappointment over what he perceived as her attempts to disparage her country of origin while contrasting her stance with that of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whom he commended for embracing his Indian heritage without diminishing it.
In a statement on Wednesday, Badenoch’s spokesperson firmly rejected Shettima’s criticism, stating, “She stands by her comments. She is not Nigeria’s public relations officer; she speaks the truth as she sees it and has no intention of sugarcoating her experiences.” The spokesperson also emphasized Badenoch’s pride in her work and achievements in the UK.
Shettima’s remarks were made during a speech on migration in Abuja, where he reiterated his administration’s pride in Badenoch despite her “denigration” of her Nigerian background.
Badenoch, whose full name is Olukemi Adegoke, spent her early years in Lagos before moving to the United States, where her mother worked as a physiology professor. At 16, she relocated to the UK to pursue her education, a decision influenced by Nigeria’s economic and political instability at the time.
Now married to Scottish banker Hamish Badenoch, Kemi has often reflected on how her formative years in Nigeria shaped her conservative political beliefs. Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference earlier this year, she contrasted the freedom she experienced in the UK with the fear and uncertainty she felt growing up in Lagos.
During a recent visit to the US, she described her hometown as “a place where almost everything seemed broken,” further attributing her rejection of socialism to her lived experiences in Nigeria.
Despite the controversy, Badenoch remains steadfast in her views, highlighting her journey as an integral part of her political ideology and leadership in the UK.
