Kemi Badenoch and Uchechukwu Olisa: Realities of Today’s Nigerian Citizenship, Identity, and Official Exclusion (1) – Noble Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje

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KEMI BADENOCH AND UCHECHUKWU OLISA: REALITIES OF TODAY’S NIGERIAN CITIZENSHIP, IDENTITY, AND OFFICIAL EXCLUSION (1)

- by Noble Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje (KSJI)

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The contrasting citizenship statuses of Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch (née Adegoke; born of a Nigerian Yoruba parent on 2 January 1980 in Wimbledon, London), and Uchechukwu Olisa (born of a Nigerian Igbo parent on 2 January 1972 in Lagos, Nigeria)—highlight complex and often paradoxical dynamics in how citizenship, identity, and belonging are constructed, recognized, and contested in different socio-political contexts. Kemi Badenoch, born in Nigeria but having relocated to the United Kingdom, is able to claim full British citizenship and renounce her Nigerian citizenship. Meanwhile, Uchechukwu Olisa, a lifelong Lagos resident born in the same city, finds himself officially treated as a foreigner by the Lagos State government, while the federal Government under a former Lagos State Governor, silently watched. This juxtaposition raises important questions about the nature of citizenship, the role of the state, and the lived realities of identity and rights in Nigeria and abroad.

 

Legal Frameworks of Citizenship

The foundation of citizenship is anchored in legal frameworks that define who belongs to a state and who does not. In the UK, citizenship laws allow naturalized citizens—people born abroad who relocate and settle in Britain—to claim full British citizenship after meeting residence and other criteria. Importantly, British law permits dual citizenship but also recognizes the option to renounce former citizenships. Kemi Badenoch’s case is emblematic: born in Nigeria, she exercised her right to naturalize as a British citizen, thereby enjoying full political and social rights in the UK, including voting rights and eligibility for public office. She also has the legal freedom to renounce Nigerian citizenship, making her formally British in nationality.

 

Nigeria, however, has a more complex citizenship regime. Nigerian law recognizes citizenship by birth, descent, registration, or naturalization, but it also has regional and ethnic considerations embedded in governance, affecting who is deemed a “native” or “indigene” of a particular state. Lagos State, where Uchechukwu Olisa lives, operates a system that sometimes distinguishes between “indigenes” (those with ancestral roots in the state) and “settlers” or non-indigenes (those who reside but lack ethnic ties). This distinction often affects access to government jobs, education, political representation, and even social services.

 

The Indigene-Settler Dichotomy in Nigeria

The official treatment of Uchechukwu Olisa as a foreigner despite his 50-year residence in Lagos reflects the indigene-settler dichotomy that shapes Nigerian state and local identity politics. Indigeneity in Nigeria is frequently defined by ancestral lineage linked to a specific ethnic group or community within a state, rather than by place of birth or continuous residence. This system is rooted in historical ethnic territoriality and political control, which governments have institutionalized to manage power and resource distribution.

As a result, someone like Uchechukwu Olisa—although born and raised in Lagos—may be classified as a non-indigene if his family origins trace back to a different ethnic group or state. This classification limits his access to opportunities reserved for indigenes, effectively marginalizing him within his own place of birth. In some cases, this categorization extends to the degree that non-indigenes are viewed as “foreigners” in their own land, despite legal citizenship under federal Nigerian law.

 

Contrasting Experiences of Belonging and Citizenship

The case of Kemi Badenoch underscores how mobility and migration can confer citizenship rights and social acceptance unavailable to those who remain in their country of origin. By moving to Britain, meeting residency and legal criteria, and naturalizing, Badenoch gained full citizenship rights in a country that values legal formalization over ethnic or ancestral claims. This allows her to jettison Nigerian citizenship if she wishes, embracing a singular national identity without the constraints of indigeneity politics.

….. 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.