Kemi Badenoch, a senior figure in the UK’s Conservative Party, has sparked widespread discussion following comments about Nigerian citizenship and gender during a recent CNN interview.

The British-born politician, who spent parts of her childhood in Nigeria, claimed that she is unable to pass Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman.

“It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship. I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents, [but] I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman,” she said during the interview on Fareed Zakaria GPS.

Legal experts and constitutional analysts have since corrected this claim. According to Section 25(1)(c) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), any person born outside Nigeria to either a Nigerian father or mother is entitled to citizenship by birth. The law does not discriminate based on the gender of the Nigerian parent.

The conversation also shifted toward cultural integration and immigration policy. Mrs Badenoch rejected the idea of large-scale ethnic enclaves, using “mini-Nigeria” as an example, and said such arrangements would not be tolerated in many countries, including Nigeria itself.

She stated that the UK’s immigration system has historically been more permissive than others, and that many people exploit it to gain permanent residence. Citing her own government’s policies, she highlighted recent steps to make the path to British citizenship more restrictive.

#KemiBadenoch , 45, was born in Wimbledon, London, to Nigerian parents. She spent some of her teenage years in Lagos before returning to the UK at 16. She has held multiple cabinet positions and is known for her strong views on national identity and immigration.

Her recent remarks have drawn criticism from some Nigerian commentators and members of the diaspora, particularly for what they see as a misrepresentation of Nigerian laws and the implication that migrants from Nigeria abuse the UK immigration system.

Others argue that her position reflects a broader political shift within the #ConservativeParty toward stricter immigration control.