Distress over prejudice against Nigerians at a Chinese supermarket in Abuja
The management of an Abuja-based Chinese supermarket has come under fire for denying Nigerians entry into the facility.
Our correspondent reports that entry into the supermarket, without any name inscription, is restricted exclusively to individuals of Chinese descent, reports The PUNCH.
The supermarket situated at the China General Chamber of Commerce, along Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Road in the Federal Capital Territory, is acclaimed as a destination for Chinese cuisine and beverages.
A video posted by X Daily showed an unidentified FCT resident expressing discontent about the discriminatory policy.
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.”
