Mixed feelings as British-Nigerian woman emerges UK party leader
Nigerians have expressed mixed feelings after British-Nigerian politician Kemi Badenoch was elected as the new Conservative Party leader, defeating Robert Jenrick in the final round of voting.Badenoch, a Member of Parliament representing North West Essex, became the first black woman to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom, receiving 53,806 votes to Jenrick's 41,388, according to the party's announcement on Saturday morning.
While some Nigerians celebrated the 44-year-old's victory, others claimed it had no significance for the Black community or Nigerians in the diaspora.
In an Instagram post on Saturday, a well-known media entrepreneur, Mo Abudu, described Badenoch's achievement as proof of the possibility of breaking down barriers and embracing strengths.
"Kemi's journey serves as a reminder to all women and young girls that no dream is beyond their reach. "Here's to more stories about resilience, leadership, and making history," Abudu said.
Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide, also praised her election.
"Mrs Badenoch is the first person of African descent to hold this position, and her Nigerian ancestry makes this a double celebration. This is the highest point that a person of Nigerian descent has ever reached in the Western Hemisphere. I call on all Nigerians in Nigeria and the diaspora to support her."
Maxwell Adeyemi, a Nigerian living in Bradford, UK, spoke with Sunday PUNCH and called for support for Badenoch.
However, netizens on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) claimed there was nothing to celebrate.
"Because of what she recently said about Nigeria," @GeneratXyz stated. "I'm not too excited to congratulate Kemi Badenoch. She could have run her campaign without disparaging where she is from. The United Kingdom remains her sojourn rather than her home. "Nigeria will always be her root."
In addition, some of the comments on the Nigerians in the UK community platform following her election announcement were negative.
"Congratulations? Who is the dumbest black woman in the Conservative Party? Do you even know Kemi? I'm not sure," @ill_nojie wrote.
Badenoch, born in the United Kingdom to the late Mr Femi Adegoke and Mrs Feyi Adegoke, was raised in Nigeria before returning to the UK.
She recently irritated a former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, after making a derogatory reference to Nigeria in the run-up to the elections.
In an interview, Badenoch stated that she did not want the UK to go through what forced her to flee Nigeria.
"This is my country."I don't want it to resemble the place I ran away from. "I want it to get better and better, not just for me, but for the next generation," she stated.
It is not the first time she has faced criticism for making such snide remarks about the country.
The 44-year-old woman once told the BBC, "I grew up somewhere where the lights didn't come on, where we ran out of fuel frequently despite being an oil-producing country."
In 2020, she also defended British colonialism during a debate about the UK's response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
She went on: "The fact that colonialism happened does not mean that our modern history is tainted by it."
However, Adeyemi stated that her remarks were factual.
He stated, "She only told the truth." Millions of precious lives, such as Kemi Badenoch's, have been wasted by those in positions of power. She was lucky to be born in the United Kingdom. But how many Nigerians have this opportunity? We shouldn't blame Kemi for speaking the truth."
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