Kemi Badenoch and the Politics of Self-Disparagement: A Caution Against Opportunistic Nigerian-Bashing

                                                                                                                          Political  Panorama Issue No 23

It is increasingly evident that Kemi Badenoch, the current Leader of the Conservative Party in the UK House of Commons and one of the most talked-about figures in British politics today, has built a troubling aspect of her political identity on denigrating Nigeria and Nigerians. Whether through calculated remarks in Parliament or innuendos in the media, Badenoch has established a pattern, a pattern of self-disparagement projected outward, using Nigeria as a foil to demonstrate her ideological purity to the British right. She has seemingly made it her personal mission to use Nigeria and Nigerians as a rhetorical punching bag for political gain within Britain’s right-wing circles. Whether discussing immigration, policy failures, or morality in governance, Ms. Badenoch appears consistently eager to single out Nigeria in ways that are not only analytically weak but also morally troubling.

Ms. Badenoch is of Nigerian descent. Her continuous disparagement of Nigeria and Nigerians at every opportunity is not only distasteful; it exemplifies a regrettable case of postcolonial self-rejection, where one distances oneself from his or her roots to gain acceptance within a dominant political establishment.

                                                 

Leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch is a product of Nigerian heritage. She is the daughter of Nigerian parents. Her upbringing, shaped in large part by the strong values and community bonds of Nigerian culture, was not some accident of British policy. It was built on the foundation of a Nigerian parental ethos that emphasises discipline, education, resilience, and ambition. These values, not the Conservative Party, not Britain’s public school system, and certainly not tabloid populism, are the true bedrock of her success.

Nigerian leadership may be flawed, but Nigerians as a people are not their government. The failure to separate the failings of the state from the resilience and dignity of ordinary Nigerians reflects a fundamental gap in political literacy. And this is worrisome, coming from someone who not only shares Nigerian parentage but was also raised with the values and upbringing of Nigerian society. That she now chooses to routinely generalise Nigeria in the most pejorative terms, failing to distinguish between state failure and citizen agency, reflects not just moral laziness, but intellectual superficiality. One would expect that someone occupying such a high position in Parliament would know that state dysfunction does not equate to national character. Her inability or unwillingness to draw that line reflects a serious limitation of wisdom, especially for one widely touted as a future Prime Minister.

A Betrayal of Roots, a Misreading of Leadership

It is not unusual for immigrants to be critical of their countries of origin. Critical loyalty is often what drives many in the diaspora to push for reform back home. But Badenoch’s criticism is not constructive; it is contemptuous. It is not issue-based, it is identity-based. She does not critique Nigeria's leadership; she demonises Nigerians. And in doing so, she has proven herself alarmingly unfit for any form of international statesmanship. If she cannot appreciate nuance in her heritage, how can she claim to understand the complexity of global leadership?

Let us also recall that during her earlier campaigns, many Nigerians in the UK rallied around her, celebrating her as one of their own. That she has now turned around to mock, diminish, and scapegoat that very community is the very definition of betrayal. Politics, even in its most strategic form, must still carry a moral compass.

It is no surprise that her interactions with her fellow Nigerians in the UK remain cold and often dismissive. Perhaps her emotional detachment from her Nigerian identity, despite embodying it, has deeper roots. Diplomatically, we must not rule out the possibility of a personal trauma, emotional disappointment, or fractured family experience that may have sown seeds of bitterness. Could it be that a crack in family relations, or a heartbreak at the hands of a Nigerian partner, hardened her perception of Nigerians at large?

While such matters are personal and sensitive, they can easily metastasise into a worldview, especially when left unresolved. And when such internal resentments find their way into public policy and political rhetoric, they can lead to damaging generalisations and unconscious prejudice, which is what we now see in Badenoch’s public persona.

The Truth She Won’t Acknowledge

More disheartening is her recurring failure to acknowledge the enormous contributions of Nigerians to the UK economy, society, and cultural life. From students paying international fees that boost UK universities' revenues, to healthcare workers who sustained the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic, to entrepreneurs revitalising local economies, Nigerians are among the most industrious migrant communities in the UK. Indeed, according to the UK Office for National Statistics, Nigerians rank among the most educated immigrant groups in the United Kingdom. They are nurses, engineers, caregivers, software developers, and small business owners, not just faceless statistics for populist vilification. Even undocumented Nigerians are working in low-wage but essential sectors, quietly contributing to Britain’s prosperity while living under the radar.

Rather than highlighting these facts, Badenoch continues to feed into the worn-out colonial narrative of African dysfunction, offering the British right-wing media a caricatured version of Nigerian reality to bolster her credibility.

Badenoch’s obsession with using Nigeria as a metaphor for failure in public discourse is neither clever nor constructive. It perpetuates racially coded narratives of African inferiority and underdevelopment while conveniently ignoring the global historical structures, including colonialism and unequal economic arrangements, that have shaped Africa’s developmental challenges.

What She Should Be Focused On

If Kemi Badenoch genuinely seeks to serve Britain as a future Prime Minister, as many within the Conservative establishment are now predicting, she must retool her leadership compass. Her current approach towards Nigeria and Nigerians betrays a shallow understanding of leadership. Leadership is not about echoing stereotypes to win applause from xenophobic audiences. It is about nuanced judgment, cultural diplomacy, and the ability to transcend self-interest in the service of public good. If, by some accident of politics, she were to become the UK Prime Minister, this lack of empathy and analytical depth would be a disservice not only to Britain’s multicultural reality but also to the global credibility of British leadership.

She would do well to focus on solving the UK’s deepening cost-of-living crisis, bridging the widening social gap between the political elite and working-class communities, crafting a post-Brexit immigration policy that balances national interest with human dignity and tackling youth crime, housing inequality, and educational disparity across Britain’s multicultural towns

These are the pressing matters. Not scoring cheap points through the ridicule of people whose dignity remains intact despite adversity.

She would also do well to revisit the African proverb that says, “The child who mocks his father’s farm will soon eat from the garbage heap.” Nigeria may be struggling, but it is not beyond redemption. And many Nigerians, both at home and in the diaspora, are working daily, and with quiet dignity, to bring about change.

If Ms. Badenoch cannot lend her voice to that struggle, the least she can do is not weaponise her heritage to feed her ambition.

Badenoch must understand that self-hatred masquerading as political realism is neither wise nor sustainable. The world is watching. History is taking notes. And the day will come when she will be judged not by the tabloids that cheer her on today, but by the integrity of her record and the clarity of her conscience.

As the Yoruba would say: “Tí ọmọ bá pé l’ọwọ́ ọwọ́, a fún un ní ọ̀pá ọba.”
(When a child reaches maturity, he is entrusted with royal responsibilities.)

But only the child who honours their roots, upholds justice, and embodies wisdom is worthy of the sceptre.

Political Panorama with Ola Olateju remains committed to advancing critical thought, democratic values, and the dignity of African peoples everywhere.

 Until next week, this is Political Panorama with Ola Olateju - Voice of the Coalition. Voice of the People.

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