Tinubu’s Aide Accuses Kemi Badenoch Of Denigrating Nigeria For Political Gain

Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communications, has accused Kemi Badenoch, the newly-elected leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, of deliberately denigrating Nigeria to gain political favor within her party’s right-wing base.

Badenoch recently made controversial remarks, stating that she did not want the UK to become like Nigeria, which she described as a country where the government has failed. Her comments have stirred significant backlash from the Nigerian government, with Bwala suggesting that her rhetoric was politically motivated, aimed at solidifying her position among Conservative Party members.

In an interview with Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Bwala stated, “The only problem we have with Kemi, I think, is the rhetoric because Kemi belongs to the right base in the United Kingdom, which is what you see in this populism around the world—that you can deepen your support system if you feed off of the anger of the people.”

Bwala went further to argue that Badenoch’s remarks were strategically crafted to appeal to the right-wing voters in the UK, using Nigeria as a political scapegoat. He noted that this kind of rhetoric, which involves “denigrating and demarketing Nigeria,” was “counterproductive.”

To contrast Badenoch’s approach, Bwala highlighted the example of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is of Indian descent. He pointed out that despite India’s ongoing struggles, such as gang-related violence, Sunak has never used these issues to discredit his own country for political gain.

“If you look at Rishi Sunak, he is also of Indian origin. There has been this issue of gang rape in India. He has never used that as a weapon to promote what he believes to be a departure from what is likely to be believed as hereditary or history of the Indian people,” Bwala said. “But she has always denigrated Nigeria.”

Despite the controversy stirred by Badenoch’s comments, Bwala dismissed any concerns that her remarks would negatively affect Nigeria’s efforts to attract foreign investment.

“I don’t think it would have an effect because she’s not the government in power. Usually, these international relationships or collaborations are dealings between governments. Because she’s not the government in power, it will not have any effect,” he explained.

Bwala also suggested that international investors would recognize Badenoch’s statements as mere political rhetoric and not an accurate reflection of Nigeria’s economic reality. “Secondly, because she’s a Nigerian, investors will be smart enough to assess what she’s saying, whether it is born out of rhetoric.”

As of the time of the interview, Badenoch, who became leader of the Conservative Party on November 2, 2024, had not responded publicly to the Nigerian government’s criticisms.