Badenoch: My Roots Are Nigerian, But My Identity Is British

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party and a senior UK government minister, has openly declared that she no longer considers herself Nigerian, despite her deep Yoruba heritage and upbringing in Lagos. In a candid interview on the ‘Rosebud’ podcast, Badenoch revealed it has been over 20 years since she held a Nigerian passport, emphasizing a clear distinction between her ancestry and her present sense of identity.

Badenoch, who was born in London in 1980, spent much of her youth in Nigeria and the United States before returning to the UK at age 16, a move prompted by political and economic difficulties in her family’s home country. Reflecting on the decision, she shared, “I think the reason that I came back here was actually a very sad one,” recalling her parents’ advice: “There is no future for you in this country.”

Addressing her sense of identity, Badenoch said, “I’m Nigerian through ancestry, by birth, despite not being born there because of my parents, but by identity I’m not really. I know the country very well, I have a lot of family there, and I’m very interested in what happens there. But home is where my now family is.”

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Badenoch also recounted that her British citizenship—acquired just before the abolition of birthright citizenship under Margaret Thatcher in 1981—was seen as remarkable among her Nigerian peers at the time, adding to the complexity of her story and background.

This revelation comes as the Tory leader’s political profile continues to grow, raising questions about identity and belonging among politicians with transnational backgrounds.