The United Kingdom Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has, in recent times, not hidden her reservations about Nigeria and some of its institutions and leaders. Some of her comments — including the one where she said she is more Yoruba than Nigerian— forced Vice President Kashim Shettima to reprimand her, which further escalated the matter in the media. Saturday Tribune sought the opinions of some Nigerians on this matter. Their views:
Dungus Ali
Even the current regime came up, not with ‘One Nigeria’, but a Muslim-Muslim ticket, identifying themselves with their religion. Then, what is wrong with Kemi Badenoch identifying herself with her ethnic group?
Ogungbemi Babawande
Kemi Badenoch’s statements would only give rise to ethnocentrism. It is an incubator for mutual suspicion and division. Nigeria is a multi-diverse country and it is our constitutional responsibility to promote our unity and the idea of strength in diversity by embracing a variety of people and perspectives that can lead to innovation, creativity, and problem-solving.
No Ethnic group is self-sufficient. As such, with the right to her opinion, she must be prudent with her statements. Anyone who publicly opposes the constitution on this should be cautioned.
Victor Author
Let us ask President Bola Tinubu. What is the idea behind ‘Emilokan’ if not ethnic decoration? Atiku Abubakar recently claimed that the North would be cheated if power did not return to the region in 2027. In what spirit were these statements made?
Otakponmwen Markson
Wait for it. A time is coming when our youths may disown Nigeria. Kemi is a youth, and a brilliant one for that matter. She, like our young and vibrant children, would never support corrupt politicians who keep on shouting ‘One Nigeria’ while they are busy enriching themselves and promising you that you will see the light after the tunnel. They have been crawling through this tunnel for years, but no light has come their way.
Muhammad Ibrahim
Although Kemi Badenoch has the right to challenge Nigerian leaders by all means, her criticisms must be constructive, not destructive.
As a leader of the opposition in the United Kingdom and the potential Prime Minister, we expect her to be a genius and patriot like her predecessors around the globe. To mention Yoruba as her ethnicity and prioritise that, then being a Nigerian would not yield a good perception of other ethnic groups in the country.
On the other hand, we must take lessons from Kemi Badenoch’s comments — that when we come to elect our leaders, we must have a wide checkup on the candidates to elect the one with good reputation and integrity to lead the country. Her statement shows that she does not believe in our leaders and sees no hope for change in the country.
Adebola Ayeni
Kemi Badenoch spoke the very hard-knock, bitter truth. Vice President Kashim Shettima should not have asked her to remove Kemi from her name. Respect begets respect. She spoke against the Nigerian police and we all know she did not lie.
Mohamed Mohamed
Kemi Badenoch is fishing for cheap popularity by finding who to put down from her motherland. First, it was the entire country, then an institution. Now she is going ethnic with her unnecessary commentary. She should face her work and learn decorum from leaders from other minority backgrounds who never said anything against their motherland.
Dairo Omowunmi
We have been blindfolded by politics, religion and ethnicity to realise Kemi Badenoch has just hit the nail on the head. We need to change the pictures we have presented to the rest of the world, starting with the few people in positions of authority.
Babatunde Abdul-Quadri
Since the inception of this entity called Nigeria, people tend to identify themselves along ethnic and religious lines rather than being seen as a “true” Nigerian. However, until we change this perception, patriotism will continue to elude us.
Amadi Nnejiakolam
Kemi Badenoch has the right to claim whatever she wants in her tribe and ethnicity. The only thing is that the bad economy and the kind of politics we play are antithesis to what democracy and development mean. This made Nigerians listen to her.
Sufyan Ibrahimawa
Kemi Badenoch’s comments on being more Yoruba than being a Nigeria and having nothing in common with Northern Nigeria show how narrow-minded she is. Despite living in a multi-ethnic-cultural environment for decades, her comments, coming from an opposition party leader in the United Kingdom, are unfortunate.
Adewale Oladele
Kemi Badenoch is an adult who is entitled to her opinion. She said she feels more connected to her tribe than Nigeria, and that is the biggest truth of all time. I believe everyone in Nigeria feels more connected to their tribe than in Nigeria. And, may I ask, what is left in Nigeria?
Edem Bassey
Diverse ethnic groups collectively make the entity called Nigeria. The diverse ethnic groups surrendered their sovereignty to become the entity called Nigeria. The diverse ethnic groups are the ones who chose to federate, to be amalgamated into the entity called Nigeria.
Therefore, Kemi Badenoch is right. If she says she is firstly a Yoruba woman before being a Nigerian, then she is right, because it is the amalgamation of these diverse ethnic groups that make up the entity called Nigeria. You cannot first of all be a Nigerian before being a Yoruba person. Rather, you are first of all a Yoruba person before being a Nigerian, because the ethnic groups are older than the amalgamated entity called Nigeria.
The entity called Nigeria met these ethnic groups existing independently on their own before the amalgamation. Therefore, Kemi Badenoch is right.
Eloo Agbasi
What Kemi Badenoch said is the bitter truth about the country, which many know but still living in denial. Nigeria is made to be one because of corruption and the benefit of the few. Nigerians are not one. We are too different — our languages, ways of life, thinking, religions, culture, goals, and the way we look are different. Many things make us different. But we are forcing ourselves to be one, knowing fully well that it cannot be possible.
Countries are created based on languages. So how on earth do we think that people who speak 300 different languages can coexist in one country and be prosperous? Today, many countries are talking about science and technology, talking and thinking about how to move forward.
But, in Nigeria, since independence, till date, we are mostly talking about unity — Igbo, Hausa, Fulani, Christianity, and Islam. All we do is compete and hate ourselves. That is exactly what we see in Kemi Badenoch being a Nigerian.
Oladimeji Ijemidalo
That is just the truth unless we want to shy away from reality. Most Nigerians would love to be identified with their tribe and dialect before being identified as a Nigerian. In Nigeria, we ask which state you are from before asking which part of the country.
Parker Yakubu
That is just what we are, the truth told. Political appointments and patronage have shown that Kemi Badenoch is right. We lean more towards our primordial sentiments than the Nigerian society in our actions.
Ot Esemuede Jr
Kemi Badenoch wants to free Nigeria and Nigerians from the hands of corrupted and horrible leadership. We must agree that our leadership is the problem.
Uche Ejesieme
Kemi Badenoch should not be disparaged for expressing her opinion. She seems to me like someone who has zero tolerance for corruption and indiscipline. Some people are like that.
