The leader of the United Kingdom’s main opposition, the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has fired a fresh salvo at Nigeria as she expressed concerns about the impact of ineffective governance in the European country.

She made the remarks during her maiden speech of the year, delivered on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at an event hosted by Onward, a British think tank focused on economic and social research.

The opposition leader drew a comparison between what she described as misgovernance in the UK and the Nigerian situation.

Highlighting the importance of building trust and positioning the Conservative Party as the solution to Britain’s challenges, Badenoch warned that the British system risks faltering, likening it to Nigeria's governance issues.

“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.

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“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.

“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.

“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.

“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here,” she said.

The Conservative leader's latest diatribe against Nigeria has sparked afresh criticism in Africa's most populous country, where her previous comments have often sparked heated debates.

Last year, Vice President Kashim Shettima rebuked Badenoch for her constantly denigrating Nigeria, calling on the British politician to remove Kemi from her name if she was not proud of her country of origin.

During her campaigns for the Conservative leadership seat, Badenoch referred to Nigeria as a socialist country plagued by corrupt politicians and insecurity.

In a very recent interview, she accused Nigerian police officers of robbing and stealing her brother's shoes during her stay in the country.