The Nigerian presidency has strongly countered claims made by UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who said she cannot confer Nigerian citizenship on her children because she is a woman.
Speaking during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Badenoch criticised what she called “British leniency” in immigration policy.
She argued that many immigrants exploit the UK’s system in ways “that would not be tolerated in their home countries.”
“It is virtually impossible to get Nigerian citizenship. I had that citizenship by virtue of my parents; I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman.”
— @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) July 20, 2025
— Kemi Badenoch pic.twitter.com/4WcWmuooMU
To support her point, she referenced her children’s alleged inability to obtain Nigerian citizenship, stating it was due to her gender and the fact that she is not married to a Nigerian.
Presidency Responds with Constitutional Facts
In response, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, accused Badenoch of “a continuous dangerous and desperate attempt to malign Nigeria.” He posted a rebuttal on 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) on Monday, citing the Nigerian Constitution.
“Aunty @KemiBadenoch, why do you continue to lie against your motherland?” Olusegun wrote. He clarified that Section 25 (1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution guarantees automatic citizenship by descent to children born abroad if either parent is a Nigerian citizen by birth.
“Your children, whether born in Nigeria or abroad, are Nigerian citizens by descent, automatically under Section 25 of the Nigerian Constitution,” he added. “This holds regardless of the father’s nationality. You do not need to apply for registration or naturalisation for your child(ren) to be citizens.”
Legal Experts and Public Reaction
Legal experts have backed Olusegun’s statement, noting that Nigerian citizenship by birth is not gender-restricted.
The only gender-based distinction in the Constitution applies to foreign spouses—where foreign women married to Nigerian men can apply for citizenship by registration, but foreign men married to Nigerian women must go through naturalisation.
Badenoch, born in London to Nigerian parents, spent part of her childhood in Lagos before returning to the UK at age 16. She is married to Scottish banker Hamish Badenoch and has three children.
Her comments have sparked widespread criticism online, with many Nigerians accusing her of misrepresenting her country’s laws.
Some suggest that she may have confused citizenship laws with bureaucratic hurdles or delays in passport issuance.
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