Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman and CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has addressed the issue of Kemi Badenoch, the newly elected leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, distancing herself from her Nigerian roots.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on November 6, Dabiri-Erewa explained that while NiDCOM has reached out to Badenoch multiple times, the commission will not pressure anyone to embrace their Nigerian heritage.
“We have reached out to her once or twice without any response,” Dabiri-Erewa stated. “It depends on if she identifies the ‘Nigerianness’ in her. We don’t force people to accept being Nigerian.”
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Badenoch, who was born in London but spent her early years in Lagos and the U.S., has gained prominence as the first black leader of a UK-wide political party. Despite her Nigerian background, she has not publicly embraced her heritage in the same way other public figures, such as Miss Universe Nigeria, have done after facing challenges abroad.
Dabiri-Erewa’s comments underscore NiDCOM’s approach to respecting individuals’ personal choices regarding identity.
She highlighted that while the commission is always open to working with Nigerians abroad, it remains a personal decision for each individual to choose how they relate to their Nigerian roots.
