The Chairman and CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has asserted that Nigeria will not compel Kemi Badenoch, the newly elected leader of the United Kingdom (UK) Conservative Party, to embrace her Nigerian heritage.
Dabiri-Erewa, who oversees Nigerian diaspora affairs, revealed that her office has reached out to Badenoch on a couple of occasions but has received no response.
She revealed this while speaking on The Morning Brief programme on Channels Television on Wednesday.
When asked if the Nigerian government has identified Badenosh, who was born to Nigerian parents and spent most of her childhood in Lagos, Dabiri-Erewa said, “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.
“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. You remember the Miss Universe Nigeria in South Africa.
“Until she got into a little problem with South Africa she identified with Nigeria, and she identified with Nigeria, came to Nigeria and we hosted her. As long as that blood is in you, you are a Nigerian.
“So, it depends on Kemi to decide whether appreciates the Nigerianess in her, whether she wants to work with Nigeria, but we cannot force anybody.”
The Conservative Party elected Badenoch, 44, as its new leader on Saturday, succeeding Rishi Sunak, who stepped down following the party’s poor performance in the July general election.
Badenoch triumphed over Robert Jenrick, a former immigration minister, securing 57 percent of party members’ votes.
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