By Abiola Olawale
Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, a controversial UK-based Nigerian pastor, has criticized Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom, for her comments about Nigeria.
Adegboyega dismissed Badenoch’s allegations which claimed that Nigeria drives its citizens to engage in questionable behaviours and that the Nigerian Police rob the citizens they are meant to protect.
This comes after Badenoch had made headlines over her comments about Nigeria.
She had said: “I do. My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well, I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
However, Adegboyega, who spoke with the press, argued that the claims by Badenoch were an unfair portrayal of Nigeria, stating that no country is entirely safe and that the UK also has its issues.
He particularly highlighted the high number of young black men in UK prisons and mental health institutions compared to those in schools.
Adegboyega emphasized a sense of connection to one’s country of origin, asserting that one cannot disassociate from where one comes from.
He also acknowledged Nigeria’s challenges, maintaining that it is not as bleak as Badenoch has depicted. He said: “I completely disagree with that statement. Between 2023 and 2024, about 78,000 bags and phones were snatched in the UK alone.
“There’s a very strong Nigerian black community in this nation. For people like the leader of the opposition (party) you just mentioned to get to that position, they’ve been fighting on the street.
“There were funerals where kids were killed in the UK. They buried three kids from the same parents.
“And we ask the question when the Nigerian community control these things in the UK, where are these voices? They have been fighting.
“The Windrush, which has to do with Jamaicans; people have been fighting before a black person or black immigrant can ascend to those seats.
“We are not denying the fact that our country has issues and we are also not as old as the advanced economies like Britain. But we cannot say things are all dark because it’s not true.
“We live on the street and know what is going on here. We know that prisons and mostly mental hospitals have more young black people than schools in the UK.
“When SPAC Nation began, we started sending people to Harvard, Cambridge and also have the highest number in Imperial College.”
