Tobias Sylvester
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has revealed that her office reached out to Kemi Badenoch, the newly elected UK Conservative Party leader, but did not receive a response.
In an interview on Wednesday on Channels Television’s *The Morning Brief*, Abike Dabiri-Erewa explained that Nigeria would not force Kemi Badenoch to recognize her Nigerian heritage if she chooses not to.
“It depends on if she identifies the Nigerianess in her. We have reached out to her once or twice without any response, so we don’t force people to accept to be Nigerian,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa emphasized that NiDCOM has always welcomed engagement with Nigerians abroad who connect with their roots.
She cited the story of Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina who reconnected with Nigeria after facing struggles in South Africa.
“If you appreciate the Nigerianess in you and you want to work with us, we are open to everybody, but we cannot force you to appreciate the Nigerianess in you. You remember the Miss Universe Nigeria in South Africa.
“Until she got into a little problem with South Africa she identified with Nigeria, and she identified with Nigeria, came to Nigeria and we hosted her. As long as that blood is in you, you are a Nigerian.
“So, it depends on Kemi to decide whether appreciates the Nigerianess in her, whether she wants to work with Nigeria, but we cannot force anybody,” she added.
Kemi Badenoch, born in London in 1980, spent parts of her childhood in Lagos and the United States, where her mother worked as a lecturer.
At the age of 16, she moved back to the UK to live with a family friend due to the worsening political and economic conditions in Nigeria, which had impacted her family.
KanyiDaily recalls that Kemi Badenoch became the UK Conservative Party’s leader on Saturday, succeeding Rishi Sunak after his resignation following a poor performance in the July general election.
