Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman and CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), stated that Nigeria will not compel Kemi Badenoch, the newly elected leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, to identify with her Nigerian heritage.
Dabiri-Erewa revealed that NiDCOM has reached out to Badenoch on multiple occasions without receiving a response.
“It depends on if she identifies the ‘Nigerianness’ in her,” Dabiri-Erewa remarked on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, November 6. “We have reached out to her once or twice without any response, so we don’t force people to accept being Nigerian.”
Dabiri-Erewa emphasized that while NiDCOM is open to working with Nigerians in the diaspora, it is ultimately Badenoch’s decision to connect with her Nigerian background. She cited previous instances, such as Miss Universe Nigeria’s identification with Nigeria after facing challenges in South Africa, to illustrate how the commission respects individual choices regarding heritage.
Kemi Badenoch, 44, who was born in London but spent her early years in Lagos, Nigeria, and the United States, won the Conservative Party leadership race on Saturday with 57 percent of party member votes, defeating former immigration minister Robert Jenrick. Her election as the first black leader of a UK-wide political party marks a significant milestone.
In her acceptance speech, Badenoch called it an “enormous honour” to lead but acknowledged the challenges ahead, adding, “It is time to get down to business, it is time to renew.”
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