The resident said, “Wonders shall never end. There is a
supermarket I saw online that is a Chinese supermarket. They have Chinese food,
ramen and other things. I wanted to go there and check it out but I was denied
entry. The security officers at the gate said the supermarket was strictly for
Chinese people and no Nigerian is allowed to go inside or buy anything. Is that
possible in China?
“This supermarket is here in Abuja and a Nigerian cannot enter.
This is a joke. So that means a Chinese guy has more rights than you here in
Nigeria. Chinese guys are allowed to visit anywhere in the country. The thing
shocked me oo. Now I am going back to our local supermarket because they said I
cannot enter.”
Uncle Deji @DejiAdesogan also wrote on X, “So there’s a
Chinese supermarket in Abuja that Nigerians cannot enter, let alone buy
anything, that only Chinese are allowed? So weird to believe.”
Another X user, Otunba AbdulFattah @OyedeleFatai,
corroborating the claim, said he was denied entry twice this year.
“Yes! China Chambers
of Commerce along airport road. I was denied access twice this year. The
security told me that they have stopped Nigerians from entering the premises
since January 2024. Nonsense! @NafdacAgency @fccpcnigeria,” he wrote.
He added, “Interesting. We hope Oga @YusufTuggar will attend
to your issue raised.”
A review by Whitney Ukanga on the chamber’s Google page
read, “The Chinese have gradually seeped their nasty tentacles onto Nigeria.
Nigerians have been forbidden to get into the supermarket in the China Chamber
of Commerce but every other nationality may enter. In our own country. This is
absolutely horrible and absurd.”
On his part, the Senior Public Relations Officer, Federal
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Nicholas Utsalo, refrained from
offering comment, citing protocol that only allows the Executive Vice Chairman
to address the press.
Instead, he requested access to the video footage and
assured the public that an investigation into the allegations would be
conducted.
Reacting, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afam Osigwe,
strongly criticised the action, asserting that it bears resemblance to racism,
and emphasised the need for heightened awareness and measures to address such
discriminatory behaviours.
He urged the government to take immediate action and
thoroughly investigate the issue to ensure that such occurrences do not happen
anywhere within the country.
He said, “It is definitely worrisome that a foreign-owned
business in Nigeria would discriminate against nationals of a country by
denying them entrance. Everything is wrong with any business opening and then
applying a system likened to racism in the United States where blacks and other
coloured persons were not allowed into public transport vehicles and even into
business spaces. This act is very condemnable. No foreign-owned businesses in
Nigeria should deny access to their premises. It is totally wrong and the
Nigerian government should look into it to ensure that such a thing doesn’t
happen anywhere in the country.”
