- Says, I Identify More With My Yoruba Heritage Than Nigeria
By Abiola Olawale
The leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, Kemi Badenoch has again hit back at Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima.
This is as Badenoch said she doesn’t identify with the Northern part of Nigeria.
The Conservative Party leader, who spoke during an interview with the Spectator, said she doesn’t feel any attachment or connection with Northern Nigeria.
She added that she identifies more with her Yoruba heritage than with Nigeria as a whole.
According to her, the Northern region of Nigeria is a “haven for Islamism and Boko Haram.”
She said: “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…
“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.”
It would be recalled that Badenoch has been making headlines in Nigeria over some of her comments.
Many had criticized her for disassociation from Nigeria.
Shettima had also accused Badenoch of disparaging her country of origin, Nigeria.
He made the statement on Monday during the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the State House in Abuja.
Shettima said: “Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the British Labour or Conservative Party. We are proud of her despite her efforts at denigrating her nation of origin.
“She is entitled to her own opinions; she has even every right to remove the Kemi from her name but that does not underscore the fact that the greatest black nation on earth is the nation called Nigeria.”
