The Nigerian presidency has countered claims by the Leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, who claimed that she cannot confer Nigerian citizenship on her children because of her gender.
Speaking during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, while comparing Nigerian immigration laws to those of the UK, Badenoch criticized what she described as British leniency. She argued that many immigrants take advantage of the UK’s immigration system in ways that would not be tolerated in their home countries.
Naijaonpoint reports that to illustrate her point, the Conservative leader referenced her children’s inability to obtain Nigerian citizenship because she’s not married to a Nigerian.
However, responding to her claims, the Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, accused Badenoch of constantly lying against Nigeria.
Olusegun, in a post via his 𝕏 account on Monday, questioned the British Conservative Leader over her constant attempts to malign Nigeria.
He also clarified that contrary to claims by Badenoch, if a Nigerian woman is a citizen by birth, the constitution guarantees her children automatic citizenship regardless of their father’s nationality, adding that such children do not need to apply for registration or naturalisation.
“Aunty @KemiBadenoch, why do you continue to lie against your motherland? Why this continuous dangerous and desperate attempt to malign Nigeria? Chapter 3, Section 25 (1)(c) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution states that If the Nigerian woman is a citizen by birth:
“Your children, whether born in Nigeria or abroad, are Nigerian citizens by descent, automatically under Section 25 of the Nigerian Constitution.
“This holds regardless of the father’s nationality.
“You do not need to apply for registration or naturalisation for your child(ren) to be citizens,” the presidential media aide wrote on 𝕏.