In a widely circulated interview, Kemi Badenoch, a British politician of Nigerian descent and current cabinet minister in the United Kingdom, described her days at the Federal Government Girls’ College (FGGC) Sagamu, Ogun State, as one of the most difficult experiences of her childhood. She likened the school to a prison, arguing that the conditions were harsh and regimented. According to Badenoch, the students were compelled to cut grasses with machetes, wash plates, handle kitchen chores, and participate in domestic routines that she considered oppressive rather than educational. Her statement painted the school as a place of punishment rather than an institution for learning.
Dr. Odeyale pointed out that multiple reports suggested Badenoch attended several schools in Nigeria within a short period. And the fact remains the same that she did not complete her studies at FGGC, Sagamu. She only used a session there. Not even up to that. “How can you attend four schools within six years?” she asked. “And if you did not finish from Sagamu, why claim to be an alumna?” These questions, she argued, cast doubt on Badenoch’s credibility and her right to describe Sagamu as a “prison.”
Beyond her Nigerian schooling, Odeyale referenced controversies in the UK surrounding Badenoch’s personal and academic records. She observed that British media had raised questions about missing files and inconsistencies in her reported qualifications. Coupled with her shifting identity, sometimes claiming Nigerian roots, at other times distancing herself from them Odeyale argued that Badenoch may be grappling with a deeper identity crisis.
The alumni president strongly defended FGGC Sagamu, describing it as one of Nigeria’s premier unity schools that had produced notable achievers in government, medicine, law, business, and academia. “We have ambassadors, presidential aides, doctors, and CEOs among our alumni,” she declared. “How could such a school be likened to a prison?”
Addressing the controversial issue of chores, Dr. Odeyale explained that cutting grasses, washing plates, and participating in communal duties were never intended as punishments. Instead, they were part of a holistic system designed to instill discipline, time management, and resilience. “Global research shows that children engaged in chores grow up to be more responsible and successful,” she said. In her view, Badenoch’s “prison” analogy overlooked the formative value of these experiences.
The alumni body also rejected the implication that parents who enrolled their children at Sagamu were effectively sending them to a prison. “Our parents made the best decision by choosing Sagamu for us,” Odeyale emphasized. “We were not prisoners; we were students molded into disciplined leaders.”
Several alumni speculated that Badenoch’s negative perception might stem more from personal struggles than from the school itself. Some suggested she might be dealing with post-traumatic stress or lingering bitterness. Odeyale even pointed out how Badenoch’s shifting self-identification Nigerian in some contexts, British in others reflected an ongoing battle with identity that may have influenced her harsh words.
Dr. Lola Odeyale deepened her defence of FGGC Sagamu by bringing the debate into the realm of family, culture and identity. She revealed that she later discovered her own father bore tribal marks, a visible sign of heritage that she framed not as a stigma but as part of a lived history. Turning that revelation toward Badenoch, she asked a pointed rhetorical question: “If Kemi Badenoch also has tribal marks, will she deny Nigeria?” For Odeyale, the suggestion that cultural markers or family backgrounds should be used to disown one’s roots is both baffling and unacceptable.
She went on to argue that political ambition does not justify denigrating the institutions that shaped one’s character. While acknowledging that public figures may reshape their narratives for different audiences, Odeyale insisted that it is unfair and deeply hurtful to dismiss the formative role of a Nigerian unity school in pursuit of personal or political gain. “Our schools taught discipline and resilience,” she said, “and those lessons produced leaders who carry their origins with pride not shame.”
