Why Kemi Badenoch should not de-market Nigeria

I am proud that a Nigerian, Kemi Badenoch, a Member of Parliament and leader of His Majesty’s Opposition, is the highest-ranking Black person in the United Kingdom. But Kemi still has a lot to learn in life.

Mrs. Badenoch should recall that when Anthony Joshua was arrested in 2011 on drug charges, the headline in ALL British papers was something like this, ‘Nigerian Boxer Arrested With Drugs’. I urge her office to please fact-check me.

But when the very same Anthony Joshua won a gold medal in men’s super heavyweight boxing at the 2012 London Olympics, the headline in British papers read ‘British Boxer Wins Boxing Gold’.

Within a year, Mr. Joshua transformed from a Nigerian to a Briton. What a miracle!

The British media are celebrating Kemi because it is currently chic to do so. There is, after all, some novelty in the fact that she is the first Black person to hold such an exalted position. But she would do well to remember that she is only British and not English. And when she makes a mistake, as we all do, the British media will remember that she is Nigerian in their headline.

I urge Mrs. Badenoch to learn from Barack Obama. Kenya has the same teething challenges as Nigeria, and in many areas, Nigeria is far ahead of that East African country.

Yet, Mr. Obama never de-marketed or disassociated himself from Kenya. He visited Kenya, promoted her, and proudly spoke about his Kenyan heritage.

To paraphrase a popular proverb, ‘success has many fathers, but failure has only one mother’.

Mrs. Badenoch may want to acquaint herself with the case of former British star footballer John Fashanu. When he was the darling of the football-loving Brits, he was called British, and he did not associate with Nigeria.

Then, scandal came, and the headlines changed from British footballer to Nigerian player. Today, Mr. Fashanu lives in Abuja. I hope and pray that the same fate will not happen to Kemi!

By Reno Omokri

Gospeller. Deep Thinker. #TableShaker. Ruffler of the Feathers of Obidents. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Hodophile. Hollywood Magazine Humanitarian of the Year, 2019. Business Insider Influencer of the Year 2022.