Content creator Ascending With Ira has resurfaced online in a clip showing a heated conversation with her brother over whether she considers herself Nigerian.

In the video, Ira tells her brother that despite their Nigerian family background, she does not personally identify as Nigerian, declaring:

‍“I’m not Nigerian.”

Her brother strongly pushes back on the statement, with the pair going back and forth as Ira maintains that she is British due to being born and raised in Britain.

The conversation becomes increasingly animated as her brother argues that their Nigerian background is still part of who they are, regardless of where they were born. Ira, however, continues to distinguish her heritage from the nationality she personally identifies with.

The resurfaced clip has since attracted plenty of reactions, with viewers weighing in on both Ira’s argument and the rather passionate way the siblings delivered their points. One commenter jokingly responded:

“You are shouting like a Nigerian.”

Others took a more straightforward approach to the disagreement, with one person summarising Ira’s background as: “Ethnicity: Nigerian, Nationality: British.”

The distinction between ethnicity and national identity has also become part of the wider conversation. According to the Office for National Statistics, national identity is a self-determined assessment of where someone feels they belong or considers home, and it is not dependent on their ethnic group or citizenship.

The 2021 Census found that 90.3% of people in England and Wales identified with at least one UK national identity, while 2% identified with both a UK and non-UK national identity. The same Census recorded around 271,000 people who identified their ethnic group specifically as Nigerian, showing the distinction between cultural or ethnic background and how someone may describe their national identity.

For some Black British people with African heritage, particularly those born and raised in Britain, a strong sense of British identity can exist alongside an awareness of their family’s background. Growing up, being educated and building a life in Britain can shape how someone sees themselves, while others may feel a stronger connection to their parents’ or grandparents’ country of origin through family, culture, language, religion or community.

However, others argue that being born or raised in Britain does not necessarily erase a person’s African identity or heritage. For those with Nigerian parents or ancestry, that background can remain an important part of their culture and family identity, even when they primarily consider themselves British.

Some viewers even drew comparisons between Ira and Conservative politician Kemi Badenoch, who was born in London to Nigerian parents and spent part of her childhood in Nigeria, with commenters referencing previous conversations surrounding Badenoch’s relationship with Nigerian identity.

Beyond the jokes, the clip has clearly struck a chord with viewers familiar with growing up between different cultures. While Ira appears comfortable acknowledging where her family comes from, she remains firm on how she personally chooses to identify.

The video has now given social media plenty to discuss, from whether nationality and ethnicity should be treated separately to whether having Nigerian parents inherently makes someone Nigerian.