The leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, Kemi Badenoch, has expressed concern about the consequences of “terrible governments” like that of Nigeria and promised to avoid such results in Britain.
Badenoch made the remarks Thursday while delivering his first speech of the year at an event organized by Onward, a British think tank focused on economic and social issues.
Highlighting the need for systemic reform and emphasizing trust in the Conservative Party, Badenoch drew parallels between Nigeria's governance failures and the potential risks to the UK if critical changes are not made.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It's because I know what it's like to have something and then lose it,” Badenoch said during his speech.
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“I don't want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I returned to the UK aged 16 with my father's last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I've lived with the consequences of terrible governments destroying lives, and I never, ever want that to happen here.”
However, this is not the first time the Conservative Party leader has attacked Nigeria. Online tribune reports that Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima criticized her a few weeks ago for denigrating her home country.
Badenoch, who was born in the United Kingdom but raised mainly in Nigeria, has often spoken of the challenges of growing up in a country marked by corruption and insecurity.
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