Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), has stated that Kemi Badenoch, leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, has shown no interest in embracing her Nigerian heritage.
Dabiri-Erewa made the remarks on Wednesday during an appearance on The Morning Brief, a programme on Channels Television.
The NIDCOM chairperson explained that efforts to encourage Badenoch to connect with the “Nigerianess” in her had been unsuccessful.
“We have reached out to her once or twice without any response. So, we don’t force people to accept to be Nigerian,” she said.
“If you appreciate the Nigerianness in you and you want to work with us, we are open to everybody. But we cannot force you to appreciate the Nigerianness in you. You remember Miss Universe Nigeria in South Africa.
“Until she got into a little problem with South Africa, she identified with Nigeria, came back, and we hosted her. As long as that blood is in you, you are a Nigerian.
“So, it depends on Kemi to decide whether she appreciates the Nigerianess in her. Whether she wants to work with Nigeria, but we cannot force anybody.”
Badenoch was elected leader of the UK Conservative Party on November 2, becoming the first black person to lead a major political party in the UK.
Born in the UK to Nigerian Yoruba parents in January 1980, Badenoch returned to Nigeria after her birth, where she grew up. She moved back to the UK at the age of 16.
