Shehu Sani, activist and former senator representing Kaduna South, has criticised Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, for referring to the north as a Boko Haram region, while claiming that she identifies more with the Yoruba ethnic group than the Nigerian entity.
Recall that Badenoch made the remarks in an interview with the Spectator published on Thursday, amid a simmering identity row, following her previous criticisms of Nigeria’s governance terrain and society, which sparked backlash and reignited debates over her ties to the country.
Born Olukemi Adegoke to Nigerian Yoruba parents in the UK, Badenoch’s last name changed after she married a Scottish banker.
She returned to Nigeria, where she grew up, and finally departed for the UK when she turned 16.
Infamous for her straight-talking style, Badenoch described Nigeria as a socialist nation brimming with thieving politicians and insecurity.
Kashim Shettima, the vice president, criticised her depiction of Nigeria and urged her to change her first name if she no longer wants to identify with her homeland.
Speaking to the Spectator, Badenoch said she has nothing in common with people from northern Nigeria where Shettima hails from.
“I find it interesting that everybody defines me as being Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with the specific ethnicity [Yoruba]. That’s what I really am,” she said.
“I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, the Boko Haram where the Islamism is, those were our ethnic enemies and yet you end up being lumped in with those people.”
Badenoch said she is proud of her Yoruba ancestry which has given her a “very strong identity”.
“Somebody once told me when I was very young that my surname was a name for people who were the warriors,” she added.
“They protected the crown and that’s what I see myself as doing. I am here to protect and I will die protecting this country because I know what’s out there.”
Responding to her comments in a series of posts on X, Sani accused her of trying to stoke ethnic division in other to distract attention from the backlash he received for denigrating Nigeria.
“UK’s madam conservative leader wants to play the divisive ethnic card to divert attention from the fallout of the denigration of her country of birth,” he wrote.
Sani subsequently advised Badenoch to come back and help the country, instead of calling it a failure, while citing the example of his own father who was in the UK but later returned to serve Nigeria.
“Your parents are poor. You adopt yourself into the home of rich parents. Should you come back to help your parents or should you move about calling your parents failures in life?” Sani inquired.
Sharing a photo of his father in the UK, Sani further wrote, “My late father moved from Kaduna and studied, worked and lived the UK in the 60s before coming back to head the New Nigerian Newspaper production department. To make sure he identified as a Nigerian wherever he was, he wore his Nigerian Cap called Kube. Here he was in London.”
Shehu Sani’s father (Left) during his time in the UK. Credit: Shehu Sani