[friday Blues] KEMI BADENOCH AND UCHECHUKWU OLISA: REALITIES OF TODAY’S NIGERIAN CITIZENSHIP, IDENTITY, AND OFFICIAL EXCLUSION (2)

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KEMI BADENOCH AND UCHECHUKWU OLISA: REALITIES OF TODAY’S NIGERIAN CITIZENSHIP, IDENTITY, AND OFFICIAL EXCLUSION (2)

- by Noble Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje (KSJI)

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Uchechukwu Olisa’s experience contrasts sharply. Despite his long-term residence and birth in Lagos, he faces official and social exclusion due to indigeneity-based policies that prioritize ethnic ancestry over lived reality. This situation reveals a paradox where legal citizenship at the federal level is insufficient to guarantee equal belonging at the state level. The Nigerian state’s emphasis on ethnic origin over residence institutionalizes internal exclusion and contributes to social fragmentation.

 

Social and Political Implications

This dichotomy has far-reaching consequences. For one, it affects political participation. Indigenes enjoy privileged access to local government representation and leadership positions, while settlers like Olisa are marginalized politically. This exclusion can fuel resentment, ethnic tensions, and undermine social cohesion. Economically, indigenes benefit from preferential access to jobs, scholarships, land allocation, and other state resources. Non-indigenes, even if born and raised locally, are often disadvantaged in these areas. This disparity entrenches inequality and fosters perceptions of second-class citizenship within Nigeria.

 

Conversely, Badenoch’s ability to claim full British citizenship—despite her Nigerian birth and parentage—demonstrates how states like the UK emphasize formal legal citizenship over ethnic or regional identity in granting rights and privileges. This creates an inversion where a Nigerian-born migrant can become a full citizen abroad, while a lifelong resident remains marginalized in Nigeria.

 

Historical and Colonial Legacies

The indigene-settler divide in Nigeria has roots in colonial administrative policies that categorized populations based on ethnic groups and assigned privileges accordingly. Post-independence, Nigerian states institutionalized these divisions through constitutional provisions and state laws to protect ethnic group interests and resource control. While intended to promote local identity and autonomy, this system has perpetuated exclusion, particularly for migrant populations within Nigeria. In contrast, Britain’s citizenship laws have evolved from colonial subjects becoming citizens under commonwealth frameworks to formal naturalization processes that grant equal status regardless of origin. While issues of race and identity persist socially in the UK, the legal citizenship regime is more inclusive in its formal rights and recognition.

 

Human Rights and Citizenship Justice

From a human rights perspective, the treatment of individuals like Uchechukwu Olisa raises critical concerns. Citizenship rights should ensure equal access to political, social, and economic participation regardless of ethnic origin or state of residence. The indigene-settler system undermines this principle by creating hierarchical citizenship that privileges some Nigerians over others based on ancestry rather than lived experience. International human rights norms advocate for inclusive citizenship policies that foster equality and non-discrimination. Nigeria’s current framework, particularly at the state level, falls short of these standards by perpetuating internal exclusion and statelessness in practice, even if not in law.

 

Towards Inclusive Citizenship in Nigeria

The contrasting cases call for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s citizenship and indigeneity policies. These should prioritize residency, birth, and lived experience over ethnic lineage in conferring full rights and belonging. Reforming the indigene-settler distinction is critical for national unity, social cohesion, and development. Some Nigerian scholars and civil society organizations advocate for “residence-based citizenship” where rights and privileges are tied to continuous residence and contribution to the local community, rather than ethnic origin. This approach could bridge the gap between formal citizenship and social belonging, ensuring people like Olisa are fully recognized as Lagosians.

….. to be continued

 

 

Noble Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje is a distinguished and multidimensional communicator whose work as a writer, columnist, blogger, reviewer, editor, and author bridges the intersections of global health, sustainable development, human rights, climate justice, and governance.