Leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, says she would ensure that it is tougher for Nigerians to get British citizenship under her leadership.
Badenoch made the comment in an interview with CNN on Sunday while trying to contrast the immigration policies of Nigeria and Britain.
“Loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period of time, acquiring British citizenship. We need to stop being naive.
“That is why under my leadership, we now have policies to make it harder to just get British citizenship. It has been too easy,” she said.
She told CNN that immigrants often exploit the British system, leaving the UK vulnerable to threats.
When asked if she would support the idea of a Nigerian immigrant recreating a “mini-Nigeria” in the UK for cultural integration, Badenoch firmly rejected the notion.
“That is not right. Nigerians would not tolerate that. That’s not something that many countries would accept.”
“There are many people who come to our country, to the UK, who do things that would not be acceptable in their countries,” she said.
Badenoch was born in the UK in 1980 to Nigerian parents and spent part of her childhood in Nigeria.
She has been dominating the headlines over controversial remarks about her birth country.