Presidential spokesman, Daniel Bwala, has accused the new leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch of deliberately denigrating Nigeria to gain acceptance within her party’s right-wing base.
Badenoch recently stated that she does not want the UK to become like Nigeria, which she described as a country where the government has failed.
Her remarks have sparked criticism from the Nigerian government, with Bwala arguing that her rhetoric is politically motivated.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday monitored by our correspondent, Bwala, who serves as the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, suggested that Badenoch’s remarks are aimed at solidifying her support among Conservative Party members.
“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 said.
“She’s building a rhetoric of denigrating and demarketing Nigeria so she can probably win the acceptance of the right in her party. And that, to me, is counterproductive.”
Bwala contrasted Badenoch’s approach with that of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is of Indian origin.
He pointed out that while India has faced issues such as gang-related violence, Sunak has never used such problems to discredit his country in order to boost his political standing.
“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,” he noted. “But she has always denigrated Nigeria.”
Despite the controversy, Bwala dismissed concerns that Badenoch’s comments would negatively impact 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.
He further suggested that investors would recognise Badenoch’s comments as political posturing rather than an accurate reflection of Nigeria’s economic landscape.
“Secondly, because she’s a Nigerian, investors will be smart enough to assess what she’s saying, whether it is born out of rhetoric,” Bwala said.
Badenoch, who was announced as the Conservative Party’s new leader on November 2, 2024, was yet to respond to the Nigerian government’s criticisms. (Leadership)