Presidential aide Dada Olusegun has strongly criticised UK Business Secretary and Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, over her recent comments on Nigerian citizenship, accusing her of misrepresenting the country’s laws and spreading misinformation.
During a CNN interview with Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Badenoch claimed she could not pass Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman.
She contrasted this with the UK’s more accessible citizenship process, stating:
“It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship.
I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents. I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman.
Yet loads of Nigerians come to the UK and acquire British citizenship. We need to stop being naive.”
Olusegun, reacting via his verified X handle on Monday, accused Badenoch of deliberately misrepresenting Nigerian law to malign her country of origin.
“Aunty @KemiBadenoch, why do you continue to lie against your motherland? Why this continuous, dangerous, and desperate attempt to malign Nigeria?” he posted.
Quoting Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, Olusegun clarified that any child born outside Nigeria is entitled to citizenship by birth if either parent is Nigerian, regardless of gender.
He stressed that no additional steps such as registration or naturalisation are required in such cases.
Legal experts have also affirmed this position, stating that Nigerian citizenship can be passed down by either parent if they are citizens by birth.
They noted that gender differences in Nigerian citizenship law only apply to foreign spouses. According to Section 26(2)(a) of the Constitution, foreign women married to Nigerian men can apply for citizenship by registration — a benefit not automatically available to foreign men married to Nigerian women.
Badenoch, born in the UK to Nigerian parents, spent part of her childhood in Lagos before returning to the UK at age 16.
She is married to a Scottish banker and has three children.
Olusegun urged public figures to be more responsible in their public statements, warning against spreading misleading narratives that could damage the country’s reputation.
