Presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala has called out UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch for her controversial comments about Nigeria, accusing her of leveraging rhetoric to gain favor within her party.
Badenoch, who is of Nigerian descent and currently serves as the UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, recently said that she does not want the UK to become like Nigeria, where she alleged that governance has failed.
Reacting to her remarks on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Bwala, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communications, described Badenoch’s statements as a calculated attempt to curry favor with the right-wing faction of her party.
“The only problem we have with Kemi, I think, is the rhetoric,” Bwala said. “Kemi belongs to the right base in the United Kingdom, and this is part of the populist trend we see globally—feeding off the anger of people to deepen your support system.”
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He accused Badenoch of “denigrating” and “demarketing” Nigeria to position herself politically. Drawing a comparison, Bwala referenced UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, of Indian descent, saying, “There have been issues of gang rape in India, but Rishi Sunak has never used that as a weapon to promote himself or distance himself from his heritage. Kemi, however, has consistently denigrated Nigeria.”
Despite the harsh tone of Badenoch’s comments, Bwala reassured that her words would not impact Nigeria’s efforts to attract foreign investment.
“She’s not in a position of power that directly influences international relationships or collaborations. Those are dealings between governments,” he noted. “Investors will be smart enough to assess whether what she’s saying is born out of genuine concern or political rhetoric.”
Bwala emphasized that Badenoch’s remarks were unlikely to alter Nigeria’s global perception significantly, arguing that her position as a Nigerian-born politician speaking critically of her heritage does not align with fostering positive diplomatic or economic relationships.
The spokesman concluded by reiterating the importance of contextualizing such statements, particularly when they come from individuals with personal ties to the countries they critique.
