London, UK – Dem say ‘if you no fit find your way home, wetin you go call am?’ This na wetin Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, don talk as she clear am say she no longer dey identify as Nigerian. E be like say Kemi don throway her Nigerian passport since early 2000s, and truth be told, she no wan renew am again.
Kemi wey born for Wimbledon but grow up for Lagos, don come out on top Gyles Brandreth’s Rosebud podcast to yarn her mind. She gree say, ‘I sabi Nigeria well well, I get plenty family for there, but home na where my own family dey now’ (like she no get family for Naija, abi?).
She talk say she come back to England at age 16 because her parents fear say, ‘there no future for you for this country’. You fit call am say dem push am to UK in search of better opportunities, like say Nigeria dey chop peoples’ dreams for that time.
When she decided to go visit Naija again for her papa funeral, she gree say na big wahala to get visa. ‘E be like say na fight wey I wan enter’, she talk (visa matter no be small tins o!). Badenoch don face serious backlash back home for Nigeria, especially from Vice President Kashim Shettima, wey no too happy about Kemi’s comments wey look like say she dey rubbish the country. But Kemi no dey carry last; she stand her ground, talk say she no be ‘PR for Nigeria’.
‘I dey Nigerian by ancestry, by birth, but by identity, I no really be,’ she explain, like say she dey give Naija and UK two different identities. As she dey talk all these, you fit feel say her political journey don shape her views on things like ‘why I no like socialism’. E be like sey Lagos influence no fit leave am, even when she no dey identify as Naija babe again.
Even though she no dey claim Nigeria again, she gree say her experience for UK no dey haunted with racial wahala. ‘I no experience prejudice for any meaningful form’, she saith (as e be, sometimes dem no dey see say pipol dey differ). But nah only Kemi sabi the struggle wey surround her identity.
For where she dey, Badenoch sabi say Ochon and family matters dey connected with political ties, like say Conservative Party na her ‘extended family’. This matter no be joke; we fit call am ‘family politics’. The way she dey defend UK, e be like say she dey hold am tight, no matter wetin people dey talk about racism.
As things be now, Kemi Badenoch dey swim between two waters, holding on to her UK life while still acknowledging her Naija roots. She fit no draw the line clearly, but wetin we sabi na say e better to find where your heart dey than where you come from. Make we see how this story go unfold, because na only time go tell!
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