Professor Kingsley Moghalu, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and President of the African School of Governance, has urged the Tinubu-led administration to prioritize resolving Nigeria’s pressing issues rather than reacting to recent remarks by British Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch.
Moghalu’s statement followed a series of comments by Badenoch, in which she criticized Nigeria’s governance system and recounted negative experiences involving the Nigeria Police, including accusations of theft. The British-Nigerian leader, who identifies more with her Yoruba ethnic heritage than the nation as a whole, also described the country’s working systems as dysfunctional.
Vice President Kashim Shettima had earlier responded to Badenoch’s remarks, accusing her of denigrating her country of origin. Despite this, Badenoch remained firm in her stance, emphasizing her personal identity as distinct from her views on Nigeria’s governance challenges.
Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Moghalu downplayed the controversy, stressing that Nigeria’s leadership should focus on addressing systemic issues rather than engaging in debates over Badenoch’s identity or comments.
“The bottom line of the Kemi Badenoch identity-politics controversy around her Nigerian origin is this: even if she were to become the UK Prime Minister tomorrow morning, it would have absolutely zero implications (or benefits even) for Nigeria and Nigerians.
“So why all the fuss? Nigerian leaders and Nigerians should fix Nigeria’s problems. ‘Claiming’ Kemi or her ‘denying’ Nigeria won’t solve them,” Moghalu said.
His comments have been widely interpreted as a call for the government to redirect its energy towards tackling critical issues such as economic hardship, poor governance, and systemic corruption, rather than engaging in distractions over international criticisms.
