KEY POINTS

• NiDCOM contacted UK leader Kemi Badenoch but got no response.
• NiDCOM Chairman Dabiri Erewa respects Badenoch’s decision about her Nigerian heritage.
• NiDCOM expresses its readiness to collaborate with all Nigerians in Diaspora who share the common bond of their heritage.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, NiDCOM’s Chairman and CEO said that the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) contacted Kemi Badenoch, the new leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, but did not get a response.

Dabiri Erewa, speaking on Channels Television to The Morning Brief, stated that while NiDCOM welcomes feedback and engagement from Nigerians in the diaspora, we respect Ms. Badenoch’s choosing whether to embody her Nigerian heritage.

Individual identity choice respect

NiDCOM normally embraces Nigerians who appreciate their heritage. Dabiri Erewa spoke about a past incident when a former Miss Universe Nigeria got connected with Nigeria following struggles in a foreign land.

But she added that the decision over whether or not to say you are Nigerian rests with Badenoch, and if ‘the Nigerian blood is in you, you’re always a Nigerian.’

Badenoch, who was born in London in 1980, spent parts of her childhood in Lagos and the United States.

Dabiri Erewa acknowledged that acknowledging one’s Nigerian roots is a personal decision, but NiDCOM remains open to working with her if she choses to engage.

Open engagement for Nigerians in diaspora

“We are open to working with anybody who sees themselves as being Nigerian, but we can’t force anything,” concluded Dabiri-Erewa.

It showcases NiDCOM’s commitment to celebrating and celebrating living of Nigerians abroad all the while still respecting that the choice whether to affirm cultural identity lies in the individual.