Daniel Bwala, President Bola Tinubu’s special assistant on policy communication, has dismissed recent attacks of Nigeria by Kemi Badenoch, a UK politician and Conservative Party leader, as politically motivated attempts to garner favour within her party.
During a governance lecture last week, Badenoch compared the UK to Nigeria, declaring that she did not want the effects of “terrible governments like Nigeria” to be seen in Britain. Her comments, made while pushing the Conservative Party as the solution to Britain’s problems, aroused debate.
Speaking on a Channels Television program, Bwala contended that Badenoch’s comments would have no negative impact on Nigeria’s foreign relations or investor appeal.
“I don’t think it would have an effect because she’s not the government in power. Usually, these international relationships or collaborations are dealings between governments,” Bwala said.
“Because she’s not the government in power, it will not have any effect. Secondly, because she’s a Nigerian, investors will be smart enough to assess what she’s saying, whether it is born out of rhetoric.”
While recognizing Badenoch’s achievements in the UK, Bwala accused her of manipulating populism by preying on public dissatisfaction and resentment.
“The only problem we have with Kemi, I think, is the rhetoric because Kemi belongs to the right base in the United Kingdom, which is what you see in this populism around the world—that you can deepen your support system if you can feed off of the anger of the people,” Bwala said.
“So she’s building a rhetoric of denigrating Nigeria, demarketing Nigeria, so she can probably win the acceptance or acceptation of the rights in her party.”
Bwala further contrasted Badenoch’s attitude with that of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who, despite his Indian origin, does not use India’s socioeconomic challenges as a political platform.
“He has never used that as a weapon to promote what he believed to be a departure from what is likely to be believed as hereditary or history of the Indian people, but she has always denigrated Nigeria,” Bwala added. Bwala’s remarks highlight ongoing concerns about the implications of Badenoch’s rhetoric and its potential impact on perceptions of Nigeria.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
