Vice President Kashim Shettima has advised Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the UK Conservative Party, to drop her Nigerian name after she was accused of denigrating her country of origin.
Shettima expressed that, despite her attempts to smear Nigeria, the country remains proud of her achievements.
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“Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the British Labour or Conservative Party. We are proud of her in spite of her efforts of denigrating her country, her origin,” Shettima said during the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the State House in Abuja on Monday.
He continued, “She is entitled to her own opinions. She has 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.”
Shettima also highlighted the significant role immigrants play in building and strengthening nations. He pointed to examples like Elon Musk, the CEO of X (formerly Twitter) and Tesla, who hails from South Africa, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is of Indian descent.
“Immigrants build nations and immigrants build civilisation. There is a need to cherish and respect immigrants. Rishi Sunak of Indian ancestry never denigrated India,” Shettima added.
Badenoch has faced backlash for her controversial opinions on Nigeria, including accusations in 2022 that Nigerian politicians use public funds for personal gain.
Following her election as the UK Conservative Party leader in 2024, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), revealed that Badenoch had failed to respond when contacted by the commission.
