Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK Conservative Party, has again taken a dig at Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, in her recent interview, saying she identifies as Yoruba and has nothing in common with the country’s northern part.
Tribune Online reports that Vice President Kashim Shettima, recently, slammed Kemi Badenoch for denigrating Nigeria in her recent interviews with British media, especially her views on immigration and corruption by the Nigerian public officials, urging her to drop her Nigerian name.
While her spokesperson has responded to the criticism from Shettima, Badenoch sparked fresh identity controversy while speaking with British media, The Spectator, recently.
According to her, Northern Nigeria is a haven for Islamism and Boko Haram. She expressed dismay at how she’s being identified as Nigerian, noting that she identifies less with the country.
She said, “I find it interesting that everybody defines me as being Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with the specific ethnicity [Yoruba].”
“I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, the Boko Haram where Islamism is.
“Being Yoruba is my true identity, and I refuse to be lumped with northern people of Nigeria, who ‘were our ethnic enemies, ’ all in the name of being called a Nigerian.”
Continuing, Badenoch recalled how her surname was linked to a warrior and protector of the crown, adding that she was ready to die protecting the country (United Kingdom).
“Somebody once told me when I was very young that my surname was a name for people who were warriors. They protected the crown, and that’s what I see myself as doing.
“I am here to protect, and I will die protecting this country because I know what’s out there.”