“It Was Like Being in Prison” – Kemi Badenoch Recalls Harsh Experience at Nigerian Boarding School

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, has reflected on her difficult experience attending a federal government girls’ secondary school in Nigeria, describing the environment as harsh and likening it to being in prison.

Speaking during a podcast interview with British broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, Badenoch recounted her time at a federal boarding school located in Shagamu, Ogun State, where she lived under demanding conditions as a teenager.

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She said it was her first time living away from her family, and the school environment was physically and emotionally challenging.

“It was called a federal government girl’s school, in a place called Shagamu, and that was like being in prison,” she said.

Sharing more details about life in the school, Badenoch recalled how students had to carry out tasks typically handled by staff in other schools, including using machetes to clear overgrown grass and fetching water for daily use.

“When I tell the stories about using a machete… that’s the place I’m talking about. Having to fetch buckets of water—that was the first time I was away from home,” she added.

When asked if it was a boarding school, she responded:

“Yes, it’s a federal boarding school. We shared a dormitory with others—about 150 students, with 20 to 30 in a room, and there were six rooms.”

She explained that students were responsible for maintaining the school’s surroundings themselves.

“The machete is for cutting the grass… Because, well, who else is going to cut the grass? Grass grows, you have machetes to cut it,” she said. “We needed to look after the school grounds.”

Badenoch also highlighted the lack of basic amenities, particularly water, saying that students had to clean toilets without access to running water.

“Using a machete, having to clean toilets with no running water—I’m not going to go into the description of that—but it is very, very, very grotty,” she said.

She attributed her placement in the school to Nigeria’s old educational system, which she described as rooted in socialist ideals, where students were assigned to schools across the country based on academic performance.

“This was more socialism, so they sprinkled people around. They didn’t want one school getting all the best results. You could end up getting sent thousands of miles away,” she said. “I was lucky, I didn’t get sent too far away, but I was very far from home. It was like Lord of the Flies. The students were in control.”

Despite the difficult conditions, Badenoch noted that the experience gave her lasting perspective and shaped her outlook on life.

“I still always carry with me that understanding—that you never know where you’re going to end up,” she said.

The Big Brother Naija Season 10 housemates, known as 10/10, have lost their first wager of the season after falling short in their presentation task on Friday night.

The challenge involved putting together a masquerade ball-themed drama with an unmasking twist. Unfortunately, the performance failed to meet Big Brother’s expectations.

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