FG Debunks Kemi Badenoch’s Claim on Gender Bias in Nigerian Citizenship Law

FG Debunks Kemi Badenoch’s Claim on Gender Bias in Nigerian Citizenship Law

The Federal Government of Nigeria has firmly refuted recent claims made by UK Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, that Nigerian law prevents women from passing citizenship to their children.

Badenoch, speaking during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, alleged that her children cannot obtain Nigerian citizenship because she is a woman. “While many Nigerians are taking advantage of the UK’s relatively easy citizenship acquisition process, it remains virtually impossible to get Nigerian citizenship. I had that citizenship by virtue of my parents; I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman,” she said.

The statement has drawn strong criticism from Nigerian officials.

Reacting on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa told journalists that the claim is both “false and very disturbing.”

“This is a false and very disturbing narrative because Section 25 of the Nigerian Constitution allows citizenship by descent to children born abroad if either parent is a Nigerian citizen, with no gender distinction,” Ebienfa stated.

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According to Nigerian law, children born outside the country are eligible for citizenship by descent through either their mother or father, effectively debunking the assertion of a gender-based limitation.

The controversy has sparked renewed interest in how citizenship laws are interpreted globally, with many Nigerians and legal experts calling for accurate representation of the country’s constitution in public discourse.