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\nFalana and Badenoch<\/p>\n
\nFalana and Badenoch<\/p>\n
By Amah
\nKindly Share:<\/p>\n
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has strongly criticised UK Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, over her recent comments on Nigerian citizenship, describing her remarks as a display of \u201cutter ignorance\u201d of the country\u2019s legal provisions. Falana\u2019s reaction followed Badenoch\u2019s statement during an interview where she claimed, \u201cI can\u2019t give it [Nigerian citizenship] to my children because I\u2019m a woman,\u201d and described acquiring Nigerian citizenship as \u201cvirtually impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a rebuttal on Monday, Falana cited the Nigerian Constitution, clarifying that Badenoch\u2019s children are Nigerian by birth, regardless of their place of birth or their mother\u2019s gender.<\/p>\n
\u201cContrary to Kemi Badenoch\u2019s misleading claim, her children are Nigerians because she is a Nigerian,\u201d Falana stated. \u201cHer assertion that she cannot give Nigerian citizenship to her children because she is a woman is not in consonance with Section 25(b) and (c) of the Nigerian Constitution\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
He further referenced Section 42(2), which guarantees equal rights to all Nigerian citizens, regardless of gender or birth circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any disability or deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances of his birth, gender, political opinion or class,\u201d Falana explained.<\/p>\n
According to the senior advocate, Badenoch\u2019s two children are dual citizens of Nigeria and the United Kingdom. \u201cIt is up to the children to renounce their Nigerian citizenship upon the attainment of full age in accordance with Section 29 of the Nigerian Constitution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Falana also refuted Badenoch\u2019s claim that acquiring Nigerian citizenship is \u201cvirtually impossible,\u201d stressing that Sections 26 and 27 of the Constitution make clear provisions for foreigners to obtain citizenship by registration or naturalisation upon meeting specified conditions. He, however, acknowledged gaps in the law that require reform. \u201cA woman who is married to a Nigerian man is qualified for registration as a citizen. But the same right is not accorded to a man who is married to a Nigerian woman because of the patriarchal nature of the society,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
Falana accused Badenoch of attempting to curry favour with the British electorate at Nigeria\u2019s expense, warning that such misinformation unfairly maligns her country of origin. Vanguard<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Falana and Badenoch By Amah Kindly Share: Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has strongly criticised UK Conservative Party leader,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[596,1534],"class_list":["post-7087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-femi-falana","tag-kemi-badenoch"],"yoast_head":"\n