“Enjoy Your Adopted Home and Leave Us Alone” — Shehu Sani Responds to Kemi Badenoch’s Citizenship Comment
Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has sharply criticized UK Minister and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch following her recent remarks on Nigerian citizenship during a CNN interview.
Badenoch, born to Nigerian parents, claimed she is unable to pass Nigerian citizenship to her children due to her gender. “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 said. She further compared the situation to the UK, stating that “loads of Nigerians come to the UK, stay for a relatively free period, and acquire British citizenship.”
Reacting on Monday via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Shehu Sani described Badenoch’s statement as misleading and politically self-serving.
“Why should Kemi Badenoch be bothered about getting Nigerian citizenship for her offspring from a country she rebuked and rejected?” Sani wrote. “She should just enjoy her adopted home and leave us alone in our father’s house.”
The exchange has drawn mixed reactions online, with some defending Badenoch’s stance as highlighting gender-based legal barriers, while others see her remarks as an attempt to undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty to score political points in the UK.
