Tobi Adegboyega, a UK-based pastor, has strongly rejected the recent claims made by Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the British Conservative Party, about Nigeria and its citizens.
In an interview with a UK journalist, Badenoch had accused Nigeria of encouraging its people to engage in unethical behaviors.
She also made serious allegations against the Nigerian Police, claiming they rob the people they are meant to protect.
But Adegboyega, who is known for his controversial statements and whose church, SPAC Nation, was recently shut down by the British government over mismanagement of funds, disagrees with Badenoch’s views.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Adegboyega called Badenoch’s statements untrue and misleading.
“I completely disagree with that statement,” Adegboyega said during the show.
He pointed out that Nigeria is not the only country facing challenges, and that crime is a global issue.
“Between 2023 and 2024, about 78,000 bags and phones were snatched in London and the UK alone,” he said.
He emphasized that the United Kingdom, where he resides, has its own issues with crime and societal problems, just like Nigeria.
Adegboyega, who is a prominent figure in the Nigerian community in the UK, also criticized Badenoch for making generalizations about Nigerians.
“There’s a very strong Nigerian black community in this nation,” he stated, pointing out that many Nigerians have fought hard to establish themselves in the UK.
Adegboyega also highlighted the struggles of black communities in the UK, particularly in relation to issues like crime and systemic inequality.
“For people like the leader of the opposition (party) you just mentioned to get to that position, they’ve been fighting on the street,” he added.
The pastor recalled incidents in the UK where young people, particularly from immigrant backgrounds, had been killed due to gang violence, underscoring the widespread social issues in Britain.
“There were funerals where kids were killed in the UK. They buried three kids from the same parents,” he said.
Adegboyega’s response was a defense of his Nigerian heritage and the struggles of his people, both in Nigeria and abroad.
While acknowledging that Nigeria faces many challenges, he rejected the idea that the country’s people were inherently criminal or corrupt.
“We cannot disassociate from where we are coming from,” he stated, emphasizing the importance of remembering one’s roots.
He acknowledged the difficulties Nigerians face at home, but rejected the notion that these problems should define the entire nation in a negative light.
“We are not denying the fact that our country has issues and we are also not as old as the advanced economies like Britain,” he said.
