People are very angry about a Chinese supermarket in Abuja that is not allowing Nigerians to enter.
Our reporter says that only people of Chinese origin are allowed to enter the supermarket, which doesn't have a name on it.
The supermarket is located at the China General Chamber of Commerce, on Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Road in the Federal Capital Territory, and is known for Chinese food and drinks.
A video from X Daily showed a person in the FCT expressing unhappiness about the unfair policy.
The person said, “It's unbelievable. I wanted to visit a Chinese supermarket I saw online, but I was told I couldn't go in. The security guards said it's only for Chinese people. Can this happen in China?
“This supermarket is here in Abuja and Nigerians can't go in. This is ridiculous. It feels like a Chinese person has more rights than me in Nigeria. The whole thing is shocking. I'm going back to the local supermarket.”
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, confirmed that he was not allowed in the supermarket 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 stated that it is worrying that a foreign-owned business in Nigeria would refuse entry to people from a particular country, and compared it to the racism in the United States where black and other non-white people were not allowed in public transport or businesses. He strongly criticized the act and emphasized that foreign-owned businesses in Nigeria should not deny access to their premises. He urged the Nigerian government to investigate and prevent such incidents anywhere in the country.
