The leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, claims that she is unable to pass on her Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman. This is despite the fact the Nigerian Constitution does not discriminate against any gender when passing on Nigerian citizenship.
The Nigerian Constitution states that any person born outside Nigeria is automatically a citizen of Nigeria if either of their parents is a Nigerian citizen at the time of the child’s birth.
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Ms Badenoch, however, said on Sunday that while many Nigerians are taking advantage of the UK’s relatively easy citizenship acquisition process, it remains “virtually impossible to obtain Nigerian citizenship.”
While speaking with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria during an interview, the 45-year-old British politician said there was a need for the UK to tighten its citizenship and immigration policy.
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She used her children’s alleged inability to get Nigerian citizenship to illustrate the stark contrast between Nigeria’s approach and that of the UK.
“I have that (Nigerian) citizenship by virtue of my parents, but I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman,” she said.
“Yet loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period of time, acquiring British citizenship. We need to stop being naive,” she added.
Despite being born to Nigerian parents and migrating to the UK at the age of 16, Ms Badenoch has repeatedly criticised the UK’s immigration policy, which she says makes it too easy for citizens of Nigeria and other countries to move to the UK.
She has consistently called for stricter immigration controls.
“We are allowing our tolerance to be exploited. That is not right,” she said in the CNN interview.
“Nigerians would not tolerate that. That’s not something that many countries would accept.
“There are many people who come to our country, to the UK, who do things that would not be acceptable in their countries,” she added.
Reviewing Claim of Nigerian citizenship
Ms Badenoch’s claim about Nigeria’s citizenship policy is at best inaccurate.
Section 25 of the Nigerian Constitution states that any person born outside Nigeria is automatically a citizen of Nigeria if either of their paparents is a Nigerian citizen at the time of the child’s birth. This is regardless of whether that parent is the mother or the father.
By this, a Nigerian-born mother can pass citizenship to her child, just like a Nigerian-born father can.
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Ms Badenoch did not provide details of her efforts to get Nigerian passports for her three children. However, based on the constitutional provision, the children could only legally have been denied Nigerian citizenship if she had renounced her Nigerian citizenship before their birth. Ms Badenoch is married to Hamish Badenoch, a Northern Irish bank official and politician. They got married in 2012.
The Conservative Party leader said that if her party becomes the UK’s ruling party, under her leadership, the UK would prioritise implementing stricter policies on citizenship acquisition and immigration.
“It’s been too easy. It is basically a conveyor belt. We want people who want to come to the UK and be net contributors, not people who will immigrate and then need welfare and social housing.
“That’s not right because they haven’t paid into the system,” she said.
