A presidential aide, Dada Olusegun, has criticised UK Business Secretary and Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, over her recent comments on Nigerian citizenship, accusing her of misrepresenting the country’s laws.
Badenoch, who was born in the UK to Nigerian parents, claimed in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday that she cannot transmit her Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman.
“It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship. I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents. I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman,” she said, contrasting the situation with the ease with which Nigerians acquire British citizenship.
Reacting on Monday via his X handle, Olusegun accused Badenoch of spreading misinformation and distorting Nigeria’s constitutional provisions.
“Aunty @KemiBadenoch, why do you continue to lie against your motherland? Why this continuous, dangerous, and desperate attempt to malign Nigeria?” Olusegun wrote.
Citing Section 25(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, Olusegun clarified that a child born outside Nigeria is entitled to Nigerian citizenship by birth if either parent is a Nigerian citizen regardless of gender.
“This holds regardless of the father’s nationality,” he stated. “You do not need to apply for registration or naturalisation for such a child to be recognised as a citizen.”
Legal experts corroborated Olusegun’s position, affirming that Nigerian citizenship by birth can be conferred through either parent, provided the parent is a citizen by birth. Gender only becomes a factor in citizenship matters involving foreign spouses.
According to Section 26(2)(a) of the Constitution, foreign women married to Nigerian men can apply for citizenship by registration, a privilege not automatically extended to foreign men married to Nigerian women. However, this limitation does not apply to children born to Nigerian mothers or fathers.
Olusegun urged public figures to exercise caution in making public statements, particularly on sensitive issues like citizenship, and to refrain from disseminating misleading narratives about Nigeria.
