The Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has disclosed that the newly elected leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, snubbed the commission when they reached out to her.
She said the commission had no intention of forcing her to identify with her Nigerian roots.
Dabiri-Erewa’s office oversees the activities of Nigerians in the diaspora. The commission often checks up on Nigerians in foreign countries.
She said a few times her commission reached out to Badenoch, but there was no response.
“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,” Dabiri-Erewa said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Wednesday when asked if the government has identified with Badenoch.
“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.”
