The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has revealed that her office reached out to Kemi Badenoch, the newly-elected leader of the UK Conservative Party, but did not receive a response.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Dabiri-Erewa shared that the Nigerian government had contacted Badenoch a couple of times but had yet to hear back. Despite the lack of engagement, she made it clear that the government would not pressure Badenoch into embracing her Nigerian heritage.

“It depends on whether she embraces her Nigerian identity. We reached out to her once or twice, but there was no response. We don’t force anyone to acknowledge being Nigerian,” Dabiri-Erewa stated. She emphasized that while NIDCOM is open to collaborating with individuals who identify as Nigerian, it is not something that can be imposed.

Born in London in 1980, Badenoch spent part of her childhood in Lagos and later in the United States. While she has deep ties to Nigeria, her public identity remains largely shaped by her British upbringing.