By Abiola Olawale
Prominent human rights activist and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), former Senator Shehu Sani, among other Nigerians, have criticised Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, over her claim that she cannot pass Nigerian citizenship to her children due to her gender.
The statement, made during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on July 20, 2025, has drawn sharp criticism from Nigerian officials, legal experts, and citizens, who accuse her of misrepresenting the country’s constitution for political gain.
The New Diplomat reports that during the CNN interview, Badenoch, a British politician of Nigerian descent, contrasted the immigration policies of Nigeria and the UK, arguing that the UK’s lenient citizenship processes are exploited by immigrants.
To illustrate her point, she claimed, “It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship. I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents; I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman.”
She further emphasized that “loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period of time, acquire British citizenship,” calling for stricter UK immigration policies under her leadership.
Recall that Badenoch, born in London in 1980 to Nigerian Yoruba parents, spent part of her childhood in Lagos before returning to the UK at age 16. Married to Scottish banker Hamish Badenoch, she has three children.
However, many have challenged Badenoch’s claims, citing Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended), which clearly states that any person born outside Nigeria is automatically a citizen if either parent—male or female—is a Nigerian citizen at the time of birth.
Falana also weighed in, describing Badenoch’s remarks as “misleading and legally inaccurate.” Falana emphasized that Section 25 ensures gender equality in conferring citizenship, and Badenoch’s children are Nigerian citizens by virtue of her citizenship.
He added that any failure to register them as citizens would be due to procedural oversight, not gender-based restrictions.
“Contrary to her misleading claim, her children are Nigerians because she is a Nigerian.
“Her assertion that she cannot pass citizenship to her children because she is a woman is false and unsupported by law.
“Kemi Badenoch’s children, like her, are dual citizens of Britain and Nigeria. It is their decision whether to renounce Nigerian citizenship upon reaching adulthood, as permitted under Section 29 of the Constitution,” Falana said.
Also, Sani, while reacting, said: “Why should Kemi Badenoch be bothered about getting a Nigerian citizenship for her Offspring from a country she rebuked and rejected?… She should just enjoy her adopted home and leave us alone in our father’s home.”
Similarly, a former Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede, further refuted Badenoch’s claim, stating, “Section 25 of the Nigerian Constitution allows persons whose parents or grandparents, whether male or female, are Nigerians to become citizens by birth.”
