Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, has said she no longer identifies as a Nigerian.

As reported by The Telegraph on Friday, August 1, the Tory leader, who grew up in Lagos state, southwest Nigeria, said that she had not had a Nigerian passport for two decades.

Guardian UK also noted the United Kingdom's (UK's) opposition leader's new comments.

Mrs Badenoch said that while she knew the country “very well” and had an interest in what happens there, she felt that her “home is where my now family is”.

Speaking on the Rosebud podcast, she said:

“I have not renewed my Nigerian passport, I think, not since the early 2000s.

“I don’t identify with it anymore, most of my life has been in the UK and I’ve just never felt the need to.”

She added:

“I’m Nigerian through ancestry, by birth despite not being born there because of my parents, but by identity, I’m not really. I know the country very well, I have a lot of family there, and I’m very interested in what happens there.

“But home is where my now family is, and my now family is my children, it’s my husband and my brother and his children, in-laws."

Furthermore, she said that she remembered “never quite feeling that I belonged" to Nigeria.

The 45-year-old has repeatedly talked about growing up in a country affected by corruption and Lagos as a city where “fear was everywhere”.

Kemi Badenoch's latest remarks: Nigerians react

Meanwhile, Nigerians are reacting to Badenoch's latest remarks.

Legit.ng captured some X (formerly Twitter) comments below:

Nels Abbey wrote: "Kemi is giving Nigerian fraudsters a bad name."

HILARIOUS!

Last week - just last week - Kemi Badenoch said her children couldn't attain Nigerian citizenship because "she is a woman". A lie, BTW. Now she says she "has not had a Nigerian passport for two decades."

Kemi is giving Nigerian fraudsters a bad name. pic.twitter.com/AbQnyoxPHq

— Nels Abbey (@nelsabbey) August 1, 2025

@Homodayor wrote:

"Journalists should just ignore her. She is using Nigeria to gain attention from the global community week in week out.

"She has never said anything good abt this country because of her hatred or negative impression.

"It seems she had been inundated with false information about Nigerians."

@jolukitibi said:

"We don't identify with you and will be glad if you drop the name too...once you say Kemi you're identified, but if you change to Kimberly no one will identify you with Nigeria that you so much dislike."

Oladiji Dada wrote:

"Kemi, please don't forget to have a name change. Nigeria would appreciate that a lot. Black yorubalised Oyinbo. Dey Fool yourself."