A member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Honourable Akin Alabi, has publicly corrected the leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, over her recent comments on Nigerian citizenship acquisition during a televised interview.
Badenoch, a British-Nigerian politician and Leader of the Conservative Party, claimed in a CNN GPS interview that, “It is virtually impossible to get Nigerian citizenship. I had that citizenship under my parents; I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman.”
This assertion has drawn sharp criticism from Hon. Akin Alabi, who represents Egbeda/Ona Ara Federal Constituency in Oyo State, and is also a prominent traditional title holder, the Olubadan of Ibadanland. Taking to his verified X social media account, Alabi clarified that Badenoch’s claim is not only misleading but factually incorrect under Nigerian law.
Quoting directly from the nation’s supreme legal document, Hon. Alabi stated:
“Section 25 1(c) of the Nigerian Constitution (1999, as amended) clearly states that a person born outside Nigeria can acquire Nigerian citizenship if either of their parents is a Nigerian citizen.”
He added that gender does not disqualify a parent — male or female — from transmitting Nigerian citizenship to their offspring, contrary to Badenoch’s claim.
Hon. Alabi further expressed concern about the weight such a statement carries, especially coming from a high-ranking UK politician of Nigerian descent.
“The leader of the Conservatives telling such a lie on TV is concerning,” he remarked.
Nigerians at home and abroad have also reacted, emphasizing the need for influential diaspora voices to present accurate information about Nigeria’s laws and systems. Legal experts have reinforced Hon. Alabi’s clarification, citing that Nigeria’s constitution makes no distinction between a mother or father in the transmission of citizenship by birth for children born abroad.
Kemi Badenoch’s statement has sparked broader conversations about the responsibilities of diaspora leaders in representing their countries of origin truthfully, especially on international platforms.
Legal practitioners have noted that misinformation of this nature could fuel negative perceptions of Nigeria’s legal system and governance structures.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have commended Hon. Akin Alabi for setting the record straight and defending the integrity of Nigeria’s constitution.
As the debate fires up, Hon. Alabi’s intervention underscores the importance of fact-based discourse, particularly when discussing matters as sensitive and symbolic as citizenship. His swift correction is not only a defence of legal truth but also an assertion of Nigeria’s sovereignty in defining the rights of its citizens, both at home and in the diaspora.
