Why does Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani question a British apology for slavery?

The Nigerian novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, whose great-grandfather was a slave trader, told Owen Bennett-Jones that modern Britain includes Nigerians, Ghanaians and Caribbean people, so a state apology would partly be people apologising to themselves. She said the African role in supplying slaves is missing from the debate, and that reparations worth trillions would be paid by ordinary taxpayers, including African bus drivers and Caribbean teachers.

• Nwaubani first wrote about her family's history in a 2018 New Yorker article.
• Her family held an atonement ceremony, but she says Igbo custom gives her no right to apologise for them.

▸In their words

“My culture doesn't give me that right.” Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani · at 13:54 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-11-01). Read the whole episode summary →

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