Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has criticised UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch over her comments about Nigeria, saying her repeated negative portrayal of her country of origin may affect how she is perceived in Britain….
Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has criticised UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch over her comments about Nigeria, saying her repeated negative portrayal of her country of origin may affect how she is perceived in Britain.
In a post on X, Sani said Badenoch’s efforts to establish her British identity could be undermined by the way she speaks about her Nigerian roots.
“Kemi is fighting hard to be identified as British and the Whites keeps reminding her of her roots and where she belongs,” he wrote.
Sani argued that consistently portraying Nigeria negatively would not necessarily make someone more acceptable to Western audiences.
“This is a message to all; you can’t continuously tell the World that your ancestral homeland is full of evil and think that that will make you acceptable to the World,” he said.
He added that people could become associated with the negative descriptions they repeatedly made about their countries of origin.
“You are an extension of whatever you say about your country,” Sani wrote, adding that someone who repeatedly described their country as being full of witches could be perceived through that same characterisation.
Badenoch, who was born in the United Kingdom and raised partly in Nigeria, has previously spoken critically about aspects of Nigeria’s political and social environment. Her comments about the country have periodically attracted debate among Nigerians and members of the diaspora.
Sani’s remarks add to the wider discussion about national identity, migration and how public figures with roots in more than one country speak about their heritage.
