Nigerian Citizenship: FG counters Kemi Badenoch’s claim
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Nigerian Citizenship: FG Counters Kemi Badenoch’s Claim
The Federal Government has dismissed as false a statement made by British Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, that Nigerian law prevents women from transferring citizenship to their children.
Badenoch, during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, said she could not pass her Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman. She argued that while it is relatively easy for Nigerians to obtain UK citizenship, acquiring Nigerian citizenship remains “virtually impossible,” citing her inability to pass on hers despite acquiring it through her parents.
Reacting, spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, told The Nation that Badenoch’s assertion is not only inaccurate but troubling. He clarified that Section 25 of Nigeria’s Constitution permits children born abroad to inherit citizenship from either parent, without gender bias.
Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga also debunked Badenoch’s claim, calling it untrue in a post on his X handle. He said she owed Nigeria an apology for spreading misinformation.
“Britain should send our lost daughter, Kemi Badenoch, back home for proper civic education,” Onanuga wrote. “Section 25 of the Nigerian Constitution clearly states that anyone born outside Nigeria is a citizen by birth if either parent is a Nigerian.”
He quoted the relevant constitutional provisions, emphasizing that Nigerian citizenship by descent applies equally, regardless of whether the Nigerian parent is the mother or the father.
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