Leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has criticised Nigeria’s governance record, describing the country’s long-standing electricity challenges as a consequence of poor public policy.
Speaking on how her upbringing shaped her political beliefs, Badenoch said Nigeria’s vast natural resources had not translated into prosperity for its citizens.
“Nigeria is an oil-producing country that has never had electricity,” she said. “It is very easy to have resources under the ground, but st¥pid public policy means that you can’t use them.”
The British politician drew parallels between policies she opposes in the United Kingdom and the approach of past Nigerian military governments.
“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 stated.
According to Badenoch, excessive government control and wealth redistribution policies often lead to economic decline.
“The government’s going to take control. We know what’s best. We’re going to redistribute. These are st¥pid ideas that eventually just bankrupt the country,” she said.
Reflecting on her childhood in Nigeria, Badenoch said her experiences in a developing country continue to influence her views on governance and economic management.
“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,” she added.
