Pastor Tobi Adegboyega rebukes Kemi Badenoch’s criticism of Nigeria
Tobi Adegboyega, a controversial UK-based pastor, has dismissed recent comments by Kemi Badenoch, leader of the British Conservative Party, accusing her of unfairly portraying Nigeria in a negative light.
Badenoch, in a recent interview with a UK journalist, described Nigeria as a country that drives its citizens to engage in questionable behaviors. She also alleged that the Nigerian Police are complicit in robbing the very people they are sworn to protect.
However, Adegboyega, whose church organization SPAC Nation was recently dissolved by the UK government over allegations of mismanaging £1.87 million in funds, challenged Badenoch’s statements. Speaking during an appearance on *Politics Today* on Channels Television, Adegboyega argued that no country is without its challenges, including the United Kingdom.
“I completely disagree with that statement,” Adegboyega said in response to Badenoch’s remarks. “Between 2023 and 2024, about 78,000 bags and phones were snatched in London and the UK alone. There’s a very strong Nigerian black community in this nation.”
Highlighting the struggles faced by minorities in the UK, Adegboyega noted that achieving leadership positions has often come at a high cost. “For people like the leader of the opposition (party) you just mentioned to get to that position, they’ve been fighting on the street. There were funerals where kids were killed in the UK. They buried three kids from the same parents.”
He continued: “When the Nigerian community controls these things in the UK, where are these voices? They have been fighting. The Windrush generation, which has to do with Jamaicans, also fought. People have been fighting before a black person or black immigrant can ascend to those seats.”
Adegboyega acknowledged the difficulties Nigeria faces but cautioned against exaggerating the country’s challenges. “Though things might be tough for my people back home in Nigeria, it doesn’t give anybody leeway to disparage the country in the manner Badenoch is going about it.”
The pastor also drew attention to systemic issues affecting black communities in the UK. “Prisons and mental health institutions here have more young black people than schools. That is a fact. We live on the streets and know what is going on.”
Adegboyega highlighted efforts by his now-dissolved organization to address systemic inequalities. “When SPAC Nation began, we started sending people to Harvard, Cambridge, and Imperial College. We have the highest number of black students in these institutions.”
He concluded by emphasizing that while Nigeria faces challenges, the nation is far from irredeemable. “We are not denying the fact that our country has issues, and we are also not as old as the advanced economies like Britain. But we cannot say things are all dark because it’s not true.”
Adegboyega’s comments come amid growing criticism of Badenoch for her remarks, which some view as divisive. As debates continue about Nigeria’s global image, figures like Adegboyega are calling for balanced perspectives that highlight both challenges and progress.
