Nigerian citizenship is almost impossible to get, but they get UK citizenship easily- Politician, Kemi Badenoch claims (video)

The leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has criticised Nigeria’s immigration policy, which she claimed makes it nearly impossible for foreigners to get Nigerian citizenship.

She was commenting on the need for the UK to make its immigration policies even tougher in light of the challenges the country is facing.

Badenoch claimed her children cannot become Nigerians even though she is one, because of her gender.

The politician appeared on an interview programme anchored by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, July 20.

She discussed her views on UK immigration policies, highlighting that it was too easy for people to become UK citizens.

She said this was not the case with most other countries, including Nigeria from where she hailed.

Badenoch lamented that many immigrants exploited the loopholes in the British system and demanded treatment their home countries would not give to any foreigner.

Fareed asked if she would permit a Nigerian immigrant to create a “mini-Nigeria” in the UK for cultural integration.

She answered with an emphatic ‘No’, adding that many countries, including Nigeria, would not tolerate that.

Badenoch drew a parallel between the UK’s citizenship policy and that of Nigeria and concluded that the UK’s policies were too lenient.

She claimed, for instance, that her children had been unable to get Nigerian citizenship despite her being a Nigerian.

“I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents, I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman,” she claimed.

The politician added that, yet, loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period of time and acquire British citizenship.

Badenoch declared, “We need to stop being naive.”

The British politician’s claim, however, conflicted with section 25(1)(c) of the Nigerian Constitution, which states that a person born outside the country is a citizen of Nigeria if either of their parents is Nigerian.

By that provision, no emphasis is placed on the gender of the parents.

A person born outside Nigeria is a citizen even if it is only the mother who is a citizen.

Listen to Badenoch speak here.