Presidency Criticizes UK Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch’s Remarks on Nigeria

Remarks made by Kemi Badenoch, the recently elected leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, on her Nigerian upbringing have been criticized by the Nigerian Presidency as a “cock and bull story.”

Temitope Ajayi, President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, chastised Badenoch for her remarks, which implied that her early years were clouded by Nigerian corruption and insecurity. Badenoch was accused by Ajayi of manipulating her story to suit her political goals.

Nigerian-born Badenoch previously made headlines in 2022 when she accused Nigerian leaders of embezzlement.

She also talked about her own experiences while attending the International School Lagos (ISL) in Nigeria, including allegations of wrongdoing by the police and a lack of access to clean water.

Ajayi responded on social media, calling Badenoch’s claims untrue and deceptive.

Her claim that she had to carry a desk and chair to class at ISL was untrue. For a girl who grew up in an upper-middle-class family—her father was a prominent doctor and her mother was a university professor—her claim that she didn’t have access to clean water to drink was total nonsense, Ajayi wrote on X (previously Twitter).

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He also questioned Badenoch’s honesty, claiming that her story was full of contradictions.

Her upbringing in a wealthy Nigerian family contradicts the picture of poverty she presented, Ajayi said, dismissing her allegations of police misconduct involving her brother as possibly false.

The presidency also took issue with Badenoch’s failure to interact with Nigeria’s Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) following her election, claiming that her remarks and behavior show a conscious effort to disassociate herself from her Nigerian roots.

Reactions to Badenoch’s comments have been divided; some have praised her for drawing attention to problems in Nigeria, while others have charged that she exaggerated for political purposes.