The Special Assistant to former vice president, Atiku Abubakar on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu has advised Vice President Kashim Shettima and those criticising the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, to focus on something more useful with their time.
His response comes after Shettima at the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the State House in Abuja, criticised the newly elected UK Conservative Party leader, for disparaging Nigeria, and suggested she could even change her name.
The Vice President said, “Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the British Labour or Conservative Party. We are proud of her in spite of her efforts at denigrating her nation of origin.
“She is entitled to her own opinions; she has even every right to remove the Kemi from her name but that does not underscore the fact that the greatest black nation on earth is the nation called Nigeria.
“One out of every three, four black men is a Nigerian and by 2050, Nigeria will surpass the United States, will be the third most populous nation on earth.”
In the race to succeed the former British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, in 2022, Badenoch had accused Nigerian politicians of using public funds for their private matters.
Also, at the Conservative Party conference, Badenoch claimed that her upbringing in Nigeria was overshadowed by fear and insecurity in a country plagued by corruption.
Wading into the controversies on Saturday, Shaibu, however, advised those criticising Badenoch should have a moment of introspection.
He wrote on his X handle “Those criticizing @KemiBadenoch should pause for a moment of introspection. The mere fact that her name is Kemi or that she has Yoruba roots does not automatically render her Nigerian. After all, Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus @gabrieljesus9 is not the son of God… @officialSKSM should find something useful to do with his time!”
