Kemi Badenoch Criticises Nigeria’s Governance, Cites Electricity Failures

UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has sharply criticised Nigeria’s governance record, describing the country’s long‑standing electricity challenges as a consequence of poor public policy.

Reflecting on her upbringing in Nigeria, Badenoch said the nation’s vast oil wealth has not translated into prosperity for its citizens.

> “Nigeria is an oil‑producing country that has never had electricity. It is very easy to have resources under the ground, but st¥pid public policy means that you can’t use them,” she stated.

Badenoch drew parallels between policies she opposes in the United Kingdom and the approach of past Nigerian military governments, warning against excessive government control and wealth redistribution.

> “And I see quite a lot of what Ed Miliband is doing as being very much like what the Nigerian military dictatorships were doing in the 1980s and 1990s,” she added.

According to her, such policies often lead to economic decline, bankrupting nations rather than fostering growth.

She explained that her experiences growing up in Nigeria continue to shape her political views, particularly her opposition to heavy state intervention.

> “Fundamentally, my views about how we should run our country come from growing up in a place that was very poor. You grow up in a third‑world country and you look at why it is termed ‘third world,’ and I don’t want that to happen here,” Badenoch said.