Thursday, November 7, 2024 - 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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