Kiddwaya: “Nigeria would have developed further if it had been colonized for a longer time.”

Nigerian reality TV star Tersee Waya, better known as Kiddwaya, has sparked controversy after suggesting that Nigeria would have been more developed if Britain had prolonged its colonial presence in the country. Nigeria gained its independence from the UK in 1960, amid a climate marked by rising nationalist and political demands. Three years later, in 1963, the country became a republic and thus severed its last constitutional ties with the British monarchy.

In a recent social media post, Kiddwaya defended the idea that Nigeria’s independence came too early. According to him, the country would have benefited from a higher level of development if the British colonial power had stayed for an additional ten to fifteen years. “Unpopular opinion. The Brits should have stayed in Nigeria for ten to fifteen more years. We would have seen better development,” he wrote on X.

A divisive statement

Kiddwaya’s remarks quickly sparked mixed reactions. Some netizens felt that his argument could be justified considering the political and economic challenges Nigeria has faced since gaining independence.

Others, on the contrary, strongly disagreed with this interpretation of history. They believe that an extension of British presence would have mainly allowed the colonial power to continue exploiting Nigerian resources, without necessarily promoting the country’s development.

This stance thus reignites, on Nigerian social media, the still-sensitive debate about the legacy of colonization and the consequences of independence.