Woman Who Lived in Hostel with Kemi Badenoch in FGC Explains Real Condition of School
- A Nigerian woman has challenged Kemi Badenoch’s claims that her schooling felt like being in a prison
- She described Unity schools of the time as structured, disciplined, equalising and not oppressive
- The woman accused Badenoch of exaggerating to gain sympathy and political favour abroad
A Nigerian woman who attended a Federal Government College in the 1980s has pushed back against recent claims by UK Conservative politician Kemi Badenoch, who described her school experience as prison-like.
Reacting to Badenoch’s comments, the woman, who said she studied at same school in Abuja, stated that several of her close friends had also attended FGC Sagamu, the same school Kemi referenced in her now-viral account.
Source: Getty Images
Woman refutes Badenoch's 'FCG is prison' claim
According to her, the environment at the time was nothing like the grim portrayal presented by the British MP.
She described the federal unity schools of the era as some of the best in the country - spaces where children of politicians, civil servants, and average Nigerians learned side by side in an environment that fostered discipline, competition, and national unity.
“Those schools were levelers,” she said. “It didn’t matter who your parents were. Everyone fetched water, scrubbed floors, and cut grass. That was just normal life for a Nigerian child.”
She went on to say that while students were expected to clean their classrooms and bathrooms, and trim surrounding grass, the tasks were neither excessive nor inhumane.
She noted that tractors handled large portions of the school grounds and that the routine chores performed by students were similar to household responsibilities.
“Calling that a prison is just an exaggeration,” she said. “It sounds like something you’d say if you were trying to win sympathy from people who don’t understand the context.”
The woman criticised Badenoch’s apparent attempt to discredit the country for political advantage.
Source: Twitter
She accused the British lawmaker of playing into Western stereotypes of Africa in a bid to curry favour among white conservatives.
“She’s behaving like a spoilt brat who thinks doing chores is oppression,” the woman said.
"That’s not leadership. That’s a performance for her audience abroad.”
Badenoch has recently come under fire for distancing herself from her roots, even stating in a podcast interview that she no longer considers herself Nigerian by identity.
Her remarks have drawn backlash from Nigerians at home and in the diaspora who once supported her during her 2010 election campaign in which she appealed to her Nigerian background to secure votes.
Badenoch says children can’t get Nigerian citizenship
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Kemi Badenoch claimed that she could not confer Nigerian citizenship on her children because of her gender.
During an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, she compared Nigeria’s immigration policies to those of the UK, mentioning the British lenience.
Kemi Badenoch likely to be replaced
Legit.ng earlier reported that unrest within the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party had intensified as poll ratings for the party dropped ahead of next week’s local elections, raising questions about Kemi Badenoch’s leadership.
Badenoch, who has served as Tory leader for six months, faced criticism for focusing on issues deemed irrelevant to the party’s current challenges.
According to Bloomberg, polls indicated that her performance has been poor, with critics highlighting her emphasis on opposing “left-wing nonsense”, such as excessive regulation and identity politics, rather than presenting detailed policy frameworks.
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Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
