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The former UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has stated that Kemi Badenoch, leader of the country’s Conservative Party, could become Prime Minister.
Mr Johnson said this at the ongoing Imo State summit in Owerri, the state capital.
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In his remark, Mr Johnson said Nigeria sent the UK a future prime minister.
“You send us a future United Kingdom prime minister in the form of Kemi Badenoch, who comes from Nigeria and is doing better and better these days,” he said.
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Ms Badenoch, born to Nigerian parents, became the first black woman to lead the UK Conservative Party after she won the Conservative Party’s 2024 leadership contest, defeating Robert Jenrick in the final members’ ballot.
In the months that followed, Ms Badenoch quickly became known for her unpleasant comments about her Nigerian heritage.
Earlier in August, Ms Badenoch said she no longer identifies as Nigerian.
“I’m Nigerian through ancestry, by birth, despite not being born there because of my parents… but by identity, I’m not really,” she said.
She has repeatedly described her experiences in Nigeria as ones plagued by corruption and dysfunction. She said she grew up seeing “what happens when politicians are in it for themselves, using public money as their private piggy banks.”
Ms Badenoch can only become prime minister if the Conservative Party under her leadership wins a general election in the UK, currently governed by the Labour Party. Mr Johnson also became PM as leader of the Conservative Party.
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Meanwhile, at the summit in Owerri, the former prime minister praised the strong connection between Nigeria and the UK.
He said the relationship remains healthy and active because people with skills, knowledge, or expertise regularly move between Nigeria and the UK.
According to him, this exchange of talented people helps keep the partnership alive and beneficial for both countries.
“I’m very proud of what we export to Nigeria. We send you pharmaceuticals and bankers and services of all kinds, automotive parts, all sorts of things, and whisky – huge quantities of whisky,” he said.
“And you send us so much in return — oil and gas; Nollywood movies; brilliant, brilliant doctors and nurses; technicians; and tech geniuses from Nigeria come to the UK, and we’re very grateful and honoured,” he said.
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