Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has criticized UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch over her statement that she cannot pass Nigerian citizenship to her children due to her gender.
In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Badenoch claimed, “It’s virtually impossible to get Nigerian citizenship. I have it through my parents but cannot pass it on to my children because I’m a woman.”
Falana, responding in a Monday statement, called the remarks “a display of utter ignorance,” accusing Badenoch of misinforming the British public to gain political favor.
He clarified that under Sections 25(b) and (c) of the Nigerian Constitution, any child born abroad to a Nigerian parent regardless of gender is entitled to Nigerian citizenship. He further cited Section 42(2), which prohibits discrimination based on gender, birth, or social status.
“Her children are Nigerians by law,” Falana asserted. “The fact that she may not want them to claim it is irrelevant. They are dual citizens of Britain and Nigeria.”
Addressing another of Badenoch’s claims, Falana rejected the idea that it is nearly impossible for foreigners to acquire Nigerian citizenship.
He noted that Sections 26 and 27 of the Constitution allow for citizenship by registration or naturalisation, provided legal requirements are met.
However, he acknowledged a legal inconsistency: while foreign women married to Nigerian men can gain citizenship, the reverse is not true for foreign men married to Nigerian women a disparity he described as “a reflection of patriarchal law” that needs urgent reform.
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