Former Nigerian Minister of External Affairs, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi, has said that the leader of Britain’s Conservative party, Kemi Badenoch will soon learn her lessons.
He said that the first lesson Kemi will learn is that “you don’t throw your people and your culture under the bus”.
Akinyemi, a former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, pointed out that the Nigerian-raised British politician was making a mistake denigrating her country on the global stage to “advance her political career”.
The foremost Professor of Political Science said this when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday.
He said that Kemi should leave Nigeria alone and focus on strengthening her party in Britain.
“How the daughter of a professor of UNILAG, her father who was a medical doctor, a girl who went to the international school at UNILAG would make it sound like she was selling groundnuts and selling water in Lagos to advance her political career.
“She would soon learn that you don’t throw your people and your culture under the bus to advance your career. She is making a mistake but she will soon learn.
“After all, right now, there is even a Right Wing political party in the United Kingdom.
“So, what she should be focusing on is how to regain that rightwing profile of the Conservative Party and leave Nigeria alone,” he said.
DAILY POST reported earlier that a spokesman to President Bola Tinubu, Daniel Bwala said Badenoch’s scathing comments about her country were targeted at gaining acceptance from her party members.
Also, back in December 2024, Vice President Kashim Shettima had hit out at the politician for disparaging Nigeria, suggesting to her to remove the Kemi from her name.
Badenoch, a UK member of parliament of Nigerian descent and then UK Prime Minister hopeful, had in 2022 accused Nigerian politicians of using public funds for their private matters.
Well said, Professor Akinyemi. Sooner or later, one of her constituents will call her the N word and tell her to go back to the s**thole country she came from, the same country she’s been bashing to gain acceptance. Many non-white politicians in the UK have gained high-profile positions without bashing their original home countries. The Mayor of London Khan and PM Sunak come to mind.
In a foreign country, your culture and ethnic origins are your strength, not weaknesses. These qualities are to be respected. Kemi Badenoch’s experience growing up in Nigeria propelled her to where she currently is in the first place. As we say, biting the fingers that fed you, sooner or later she will learn the foolishness of diminishing her own culture. By then, the Nigerian community will tell her, “We don’t know you”.