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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Energy & Infrastructure

Nigeria's Oil Wealth Didn't Bring Electricity, Says UK Politician Kemi Badenoch

From ThisDay · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch criticized Nigeria's inability to provide electricity despite being an oil producer.
  • She linked Nigeria's situation to "stupid public policy" and warned against similar government control in the UK.
  • Badenoch, who grew up in Nigeria, expressed a desire to prevent Britain from becoming a "third-world country."

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK's Conservative Party, has drawn a stark contrast between Nigeria's resource wealth and its citizens' lack of reliable electricity. Badenoch, who spent her formative years in Nigeria before relocating to the UK as a teenager, stated that her experiences there have shaped her political convictions.

My belief that we need to drill our oil and gas comes from growing up in a country… Nigeria is an oil-producing country, never had electricity.

— Kemi BadenochExplaining how her upbringing in Nigeria influenced her views on energy policy.

In an interview with The Spectator, Badenoch remarked, "My belief that we need to drill our oil and gas comes from growing up in a country… Nigeria is an oil-producing country, never had electricity." She attributed this persistent issue to "stupid public policy," arguing that abundant natural resources are rendered useless without effective governance.

It is very easy to have resources underground, but stupid public policy means that you can’t use it.

— Kemi BadenochCritiquing the reasons behind Nigeria's lack of development despite its natural resources.

Badenoch drew parallels between the policies advocated by UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, and the leadership styles of Nigerian military dictators in the 1980s and 1990s. She criticized Miliband's approach as reminiscent of past Nigerian regimes that favored government control and redistribution, warning that such "stupid ideas" ultimately lead to national bankruptcy.

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 80s and 90s, ‘the government is going to take control, we know what’s best, we’re going to redistribute’. Stupid ideas which eventually just bankrupt the country.

— Kemi BadenochComparing UK energy policy proposals to past Nigerian leadership.

Reflecting on her upbringing in Nigeria, Badenoch stated, "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 expressed a strong desire to prevent Britain from descending into a similar state, emphasizing the need to safeguard the nation's prosperity and cultural identity. Badenoch called for a revitalization of "British culture," suggesting that the UK's inherent advantages are often taken for granted.

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.

— Kemi BadenochStating her motivation to prevent the UK from facing similar economic challenges.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ThisDay in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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