I am more of Yoruba than Nigeria – Kemi Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK Conservative Party, has sharply responded to Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, after he criticised her for allegedly “denigrating” the country.

 In a retort, Badenoch, through a spokesperson, reaffirmed her stance on the issue of corrupt politicians in Nigeria.

In a further exchange with ‘The Spectator’, Badenoch took another jab at Shettima, emphasizing her Yoruba identity and distancing herself from Nigeria’s northern region. 

She expressed that she feels a stronger connection to her ethnicity than to the broader Nigerian context, especially highlighting the northern region’s association with the Boko Haram insurgency and Islamism.

“I find it interesting that everybody defines me as being Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with the specific ethnicity [Yoruba].

“I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, the Boko Haram where Islamism is.

“Being Yoruba is my true identity, and I refuse to be lumped with northern people of Nigeria, who ‘were our ethnic enemies, ’ all in the name of being called a Nigerian,” she stated.

“Somebody once told me when I was very young that my surname was a name for people who were warriors. They protected the crown, and that’s what I see myself as doing.

“I am here to protect, and I will die protecting this country because I know what’s out there,” Badenoch added.