UK-based Nigerian clergyman, Tobi Adegboyega, has responded to recent remarks made by Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the United Kingdom opposition, regarding her country of origin, Nigeria.
Badenoch has been outspoken in her criticisms of Nigeria, with her latest comment focusing on her negative experience with the Nigerian police.
In an interview with The Free Press, a US media outlet, the Conservative Party leader described how officers from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) stole her brother’s watch and shoe, calling the incident unforgettable.
Her remarks have sparked a backlash from several Nigerians, including Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who rebuked her for disparaging comments about the country.
Reacting to Badenoch’s statements in an interview with Channels Television, Adegboyega, the leader of SPAC Nation, defended Nigeria, suggesting that the situation is not as dire as the UK politician portrayed it.
“I completely disagree with her statement. In 2023, 2024, 78,000 bags were snatched. 78,000 phones snatched in the UK in London. So I disagree with the statement.
“There is a very strong Nigerian black community in the UK. People who have been fighting for people like the leader of the opposition that you just mentioned to get to that position.
“We know what’s going on. Do you know that prisons have more black young people than schools in the UK?
“So there are more young black people in prisons in the UK, in most mental hospitals we have more young black people than in schools.
“So yes, our country has its own issues, but it’s definitely not true what the leader of the opposition is saying.”