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MEET Nigerian-British Kemi Badenoch favoured to lead Tory back to power in UK
Born in a private Catholic maternity hospital in Wimbledon, she grew up in Nigeria where her father was a medical doctor, a general practitioner, and her mother a lecturer in physiology.
When the country’s economy collapsed in the 1990s, her parents took advantage of her British passport to get her out, sending her at the age of 16 to live with a family friend in Morden, south London, to continue her education.
Ms Badenoch – who spoke Yoruba before she spoke English – later said that she was “to all intents and purposes a first-generation immigrant”.
Enrolling at a local college to study A-levels, she also worked part-time at McDonald’s to support herself.
Having come from a solidly middle-class background with an assumption she would go on to become a doctor, it came as something of a shock to find herselft among working class youngsters of whom little was expected.
With her tutors seeking to deter her from applying for “things I wouldn’t get into”, she decided to study computer engineering at Sussex University.
The attitudes she encountered among the left-wing students – “snotty middle-class north Londoners who couldn’t get into Oxbridge” – helped drive her into conservative politics.
In particular, she was infuriated by the “high-minded” way they spoke about Africa, while understanding little about the realities of life on the continent.
“These stupid lefty white kids didn’t know what they were talking about,” she told The Times. “And that instinctively made me think ‘these are not my people’.”
On leaving university, she initially worked as a software engineer before moving into banking as an associate director at Coutts, later becoming a digital director at The Spectator magazine.
In 2005, at the age of 25, she joined the Conservative Party, citing Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and (perhaps more surprisingly) Airey Neave – who was assassinated by the INLA in 1979 – among her political heroes.
She stood unsuccessfully for the Labour-held Dulwich and West Norwood constituency in the 2005 general election but gained election to Westminster in the safe Tory seat of Saffron Walden in 2017.
An ardent Brexiteer, she made an immediate impression, describing the vote to leave the EU as “the greatest ever vote of confidence in the project of the United Kingdom” in her maiden speech and securing a place on the executive of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee.
When Boris Johnson became prime minister in 2019, he handed Ms Badenoch her first government role as junior minister for children and families.
Promoted to equalities minister, she created headlines with her outspoken defence of the controversial Sewell report, commissioned in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, which found the UK was not institutionally racist.
Her comments reflected a long-standing distrust of identity politics – she has complained at the way her three mixed race children with her banker husband, Hamish Badenoch, aree regarded solely as black.
Her rise through the ministerial ranks under Mr Johnson did not stop her joining the tidal wave of resignations, precipitated by the Chris Pincher scandal, which finally forced him out of No 10 in 2022.
Despite her relative inexperience, Ms Badenoch stood in the contest to succeed him as Tory leader, finishing a creditable fourth out of the eight candidates to make it on to the ballot paper, dramatically raising her profile in the process.
She was rewarded with promotion to Cabinet by the winner, Liz Truss, who made her international trade secretary – a post she retained under Rishi Sunak, who also gave her the women and equalities brief.
While publicly loyal during his premiership, Ms Badenoch was reported to have ripped into him following the Tories’ general election defeat, branding his decision to call a snap poll without consulting the Cabinet unconstitutional.
Launching her second leadership bid in two years, she argued they had “talked right but governed left” as she made her pitch for a smaller state with government doing “fewer things” but doing them with “brilliance”.
Ms Badenoch stirred further controversy with a newspaper article in which she stated that “not all cultures are equally valid” in that immigrants to the UK should “share our values and contribute to our society”.
It will now be for those party members who have for so long adored her to decide whether she can now be the leader to set them on the road back to power.
By Gloria Ikibah
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has called for greater access to affordable long-term capital to enable African countries finance infrastructure and accelerate development.
Oyedele made the call while addressing the United Nations Dialogue on Solutions to Climate Finance on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The minister said Africa’s development ambitions, particularly in the energy sector, continued to be held back by high financing costs, currency risks and limited access to affordable long-term funding.
He said the continent faced additional costs in accessing international capital despite its relatively low contribution to global carbon emissions.
According to Oyedele, Africa continues to bear what he described as a “prejudice premium” and “narrative cost” when seeking financing for critical infrastructure.
He also identified currency risk and what he termed “stereotype tax” as further burdens affecting African countries’ ability to raise capital for energy and other development projects.
Oyedele called for a rethink of the global approach to climate finance, urging the international community to make funding more accessible and affordable for developing countries.
He said financing arrangements should better reflect the economic and development realities of African countries, rather than impose financing conditions that make critical infrastructure projects more expensive.
The minister also called for increased investment in gas and other transition energy sources, particularly in Africa, saying such investments were necessary to expand access to reliable and affordable energy and tackle global energy poverty.
He argued that increased investment in Africa’s energy sector could also help diversify global energy supplies and reduce concentration risks, particularly amid disruptions affecting the Gulf region.
Oyedele stressed that Africa’s energy transition must take into account the continent’s substantial energy-access deficit.
He said African countries needed increased investment to meet their development requirements while pursuing a practical transition towards cleaner energy sources.
For Nigeria, the minister said the immediate priority was to implement policies and programmes capable of reducing poverty, expanding economic opportunities and accelerating the distribution of shared prosperity.
He said achieving those objectives would require stronger international cooperation and a financing framework that enabled developing countries to mobilise the capital needed to build infrastructure and improve living standards.
Oyedele’s call comes as the Federal Government continues to emphasise access to capital as a key requirement for investment, infrastructure development and economic growth. The Federal Ministry of Finance has also identified long-term financing and access to credit as important to unlocking investment in infrastructure and industry.
The minister said the international financing system must therefore do more to support developing countries in meeting their infrastructure and development needs, particularly in sectors such as energy where investment requirements remain significant.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has stated that the creation of Akwa Ibom State 39 years ago by the President Ibrahim Babangida administration was a fulfilment of the aspiration of the founding fathers of the state.
Akpabio’s assertion was contained in his goodwill message to the government and people the state on the 39th anniversary celebration of the creation of the state.
The message, titled, “Akwa Ibom at 39: Celebrating Our Journey, Building Our Future reads:
“On behalf of my family, the Senate and the entire National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I extend my warmest congratulations to His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, Governor of Akwa Ibom State, the Government and the good people of our dear State on the auspicious occasion of the 39th anniversary of its creation.
“Thirty-nine years ago the long-held aspiration of our forebears became reality with the creation of Akwa Ibom State. It was the fulfilment of a dream nurtured through years of sacrifice, advocacy, courage and an abiding faith in the capacity of our people to determine their destiny and build a prosperous homeland.
“Today, we remember with profound gratitude those illustrious sons and daughters whose vision and struggles helped to bring our State into being.
From those modest beginnings, Akwa Ibom has grown into one of Nigeria’s most consequential States, distinguished by the industry, ingenuity, hospitality and resilience of its people.
“Across Nigeria and beyond our shores, Akwa Ibom sons and daughters continue to excel in public service, business, academia, the professions, the creative industries, sports and numerous other fields of human endeavour. Our greatest resource has always been our people,” he stated
According to the former two-term governor of the state, “as one who had the privilege of serving this great State as Governor, I remain profoundly grateful for the opportunity our people gave me to contribute to its development.
“The years of Uncommon Transformation demonstrated what is possible when vision is matched by courage, when public resources are deployed for the public good, and when leadership refuses to accept yesterday’s limitations as the boundaries of tomorrow’s possibilities. The infrastructure, institutions and human-capital investments of that era were never ends in themselves; they were foundations upon which succeeding generations could continue to build.
“I therefore, commend Governor Umo Eno for sustaining the journey of development through the ARISE Agenda and for his commitment to peace, rural development, economic advancement and the welfare of our people. The progress of Akwa Ibom must always rise above partisan considerations. Every generation of leaders has a duty to add another storey to the edifice handed down to it.
“At 39, therefore, our celebration must be accompanied by renewed determination. We must continue to build an Akwa Ibom where every child can dream without limitation; where enterprise and innovation flourish; where our young people find opportunities to translate their talents into prosperity; where our communities enjoy the dividends of development; and where peace, unity and mutual respect remain the foundations of our collective progress.
“As we approach the fourth decade of our State’s existence, let us remember the faith of those who fought for its creation and resolve to leave to those coming after us a State greater than the one we inherited. The task before us is not merely to celebrate how far we have travelled, but to imagine how much farther we can go.
In conclusion, Akpabio wished the state and its people, a happy 39th Anniversary, saying, ” Akwa Ibom is rising. And together, we shall continue to build a future worthy of the dreams of our founding fathers.
God bless Akwa Ibom State”.
•••Defends Tinubu’s Extended Vacation
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has dismissed calls for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to hand over power to Vice President Kashim Shettima, saying there is no leadership vacuum despite the President’s continued working vacation abroad.
Speaking on Tuesday, in Akwa Ibom State, while commisioning road projects executed by Governor Umo Eno, Akpabio addressed public concern over Tinubu’s three-week holiday, which was recently extended by one week. He insisted the President remains fully in office and continues to carry out his constitutional duties.
“I am the Senate President, and I am not the acting President of Nigeria, because President Tinubu is still in power. He is on a working leave, and there is no absence in Aso Rock. The world is a global village, and one can give instructions over the internet. So, why are people complaining?” he retorted.
Akpabio emphasized that only his office can declare a presidential vacancy and that no such condition currently exists. “Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Tinubu is still in power, and he is still running the affairs of Nigeria,” he added.
To underscore the President’s continued engagement, Akpabio disclosed of recent diplomatic contacts, including communications with French President Emmanuel Macron.
His remarks may have finally put to bed, unnecessary concerns raised by critics who claim the extended absence has hindered governance. Invoking modern communication, Akpabio argued a “remote” presidency can still function effectively.
The Presidency has not provided a formal return date for President Tinubu. Akpabio’s comments, however, signal a united stance within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) aimed at quelling speculation about a leadership crisis.
Oyedele Demands Cheaper Capital to Fund Africa’s Infrastructure
Akwa Ibom @39: The Aspirations of Our Forebears Are Being Fulfilled – Akpabio
There Is No Vacancy in Aso Rock – Akpabio
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