Falana Berates Kemi Badenoch over claim that she cannot pass Nigerian citizenship to her children | ABK News
Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has lashed out at British Conservative politician Kemi Badenoch over her claim that she cannot pass Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman.
Badenoch, the former UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade and a leading figure in the Conservative Party, made the controversial remark during an interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN on Sunday. Speaking about immigration and citizenship laws, she claimed Nigerian legislation does not allow women to confer nationality on their children.
“It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship. I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents. I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman,” Badenoch said. “Yet loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period of time, acquire British citizenship. We need to stop being naive.”
In a strongly worded response on Monday, Falana described Badenoch’s statement as “a display of utter ignorance” and accused her of misinforming the British public to score political points.
“In her desperate attempt to impress the British electorate, Kemi Badenoch keeps running down Nigeria,” Falana said in a statement issued in Lagos.
He cited Section 25(b) and (c) of the Nigerian Constitution to debunk her claims, stating clearly that a child born outside Nigeria to a Nigerian parent regardless of gender is entitled to citizenship.
“Contrary to her misleading claim, your children are Nigerians because you are a Nigerian,” Falana stated. “Her assertion that she cannot give Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman is not in consonance with Nigerian law.”
He further referenced Section 42(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which prohibits discrimination based on gender, birth, or class, saying, “Therefore, her two children are Nigerian citizens. The fact that she may not want them to claim it is irrelevant. For now, they are dual citizens of Britain and Nigeria.”
Falana also challenged Badenoch’s statement that Nigerian citizenship is “virtually impossible” for foreigners to obtain. He pointed out that Sections 26 and 27 of the Constitution allow foreigners to acquire Nigerian nationality through registration or naturalisation, once the legal requirements are met.
However, the senior advocate did acknowledge an area of concern in the law where gender inequality still exists.
“A woman married to a Nigerian man can be registered as a citizen, but the same privilege is not extended to a man married to a Nigerian woman. This reflects the patriarchal nature of the law. It should be urgently amended,” Falana said.
The debate has triggered reactions on both sides of the Atlantic, as Nigerians at home and abroad continue to challenge outdated gender provisions in legal frameworks.
Lagos Reporters will continue to track developments around diaspora citizenship rights and constitutional reforms affecting Nigerian identity.
Falana Berates Kemi Badenoch over claim that she cannot pass Nigerian citizenship to her children | ABK News
Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has lashed out at British Conservative politician Kemi Badenoch over her claim that she cannot pass Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman.
Badenoch, the former UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade and a leading figure in the Conservative Party, made the controversial remark during an interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN on Sunday. Speaking about immigration and citizenship laws, she claimed Nigerian legislation does not allow women to confer nationality on their children.
“It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship. I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents. I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman,” Badenoch said. “Yet loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period of time, acquire British citizenship. We need to stop being naive.”
In a strongly worded response on Monday, Falana described Badenoch’s statement as “a display of utter ignorance” and accused her of misinforming the British public to score political points.
“In her desperate attempt to impress the British electorate, Kemi Badenoch keeps running down Nigeria,” Falana said in a statement issued in Lagos.
He cited Section 25(b) and (c) of the Nigerian Constitution to debunk her claims, stating clearly that a child born outside Nigeria to a Nigerian parent regardless of gender is entitled to citizenship.
“Contrary to her misleading claim, your children are Nigerians because you are a Nigerian,” Falana stated. “Her assertion that she cannot give Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman is not in consonance with Nigerian law.”
He further referenced Section 42(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which prohibits discrimination based on gender, birth, or class, saying, “Therefore, her two children are Nigerian citizens. The fact that she may not want them to claim it is irrelevant. For now, they are dual citizens of Britain and Nigeria.”
Falana also challenged Badenoch’s statement that Nigerian citizenship is “virtually impossible” for foreigners to obtain. He pointed out that Sections 26 and 27 of the Constitution allow foreigners to acquire Nigerian nationality through registration or naturalisation, once the legal requirements are met.
However, the senior advocate did acknowledge an area of concern in the law where gender inequality still exists.
“A woman married to a Nigerian man can be registered as a citizen, but the same privilege is not extended to a man married to a Nigerian woman. This reflects the patriarchal nature of the law. It should be urgently amended,” Falana said.
The debate has triggered reactions on both sides of the Atlantic, as Nigerians at home and abroad continue to challenge outdated gender provisions in legal frameworks.
Lagos Reporters will continue to track developments around diaspora citizenship rights and constitutional reforms affecting Nigerian identity.
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