The managers of a Chinese supermarket in Abuja are being criticized for not letting Nigerians enter the store.
Our reporter says only people of Chinese descent are allowed to enter the supermarket.
The supermarket, located at the China General Chamber of Commerce on Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Road in the Federal Capital Territory, is known for its Chinese food and drinks.
A video posted by X Daily showed an unidentified FCT resident expressing dissatisfaction with the discriminatory policy .
The resident mentioned, “I saw a Chinese supermarket online that has Chinese food, ramen and other items. I tried to visit but was refused entry. The security officers at the gate said it's only for Chinese people and no Nigerians are allowed inside. Is that possible in China?
“This supermarket is here in Abuja and Nigerians cannot go in. It's a joke. So it means a Chinese person has more rights than you here in Nigeria. Chinese people can go anywhere in the country. It shocked me. Now I'm going back to our local supermarket because they said I can't go in.”
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, supporting the claim, said he was denied entrance 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.”
When our correspondent visited the supermarket to confirm the authenticity of the claim on Sunday, security personnel at the gate confirmed that the management of the chamber gave the directive at the beginning of the year without giving reasons.
One of the officers who didn’t wear his name tag and declined to disclose his name, said prospective shoppers who are not Chinese are turned back at the gate as directed by the management.
The officer said, “For now, they (management) have stopped everything. The truth is that they are selling but they said our people should stop coming. They said only Chinese individuals are allowed to shop here. The shop is only meant for Chinese people. People were allowed to come in throughout last year but since January, they changed the policy and directed that no Nigerian is allowed to enter.
“We were not told why the policy was in place but we have instructed them to remove all ads from the internet so that people will stop coming.”
Our reporter, however, was allowed to enter because the officer said, “Today is Sunday and you are covered with grace.”
At the grocery store in Villa 7, a variety of foreign and local food, drinks, and essential items was displayed on the shelf without price tags.
One of the employees, who speaks Yoruba, was surprised that a Nigerian was allowed to enter, suggesting that “maybe they allowed because you didn’t come with a car.”
She also mentioned that authorities prevented Nigerians from entering for reasons unknown to them.
She remarked, “Yes, Nigerians are not permitted to enter the supermarket. Only people working on the premises can shop here. There are reasons but we are unaware because it was not like this before. I don’t know why they let you in, maybe because you didn’t come with a car. They would never allow anyone with a car to enter the premises.”
When our reporter asked for the contact details of the general manager to get official explanations, both security officers and staff refused to provide it for fear of punishment and job loss.
However, a contact number found on the Google page of the chamber, identified by True caller as Yemi Oke, Agrolink Consultants Limited, was not reachable.
On his part, the Senior Public Relations Officer, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Nicholas Utsalo, declined to comment, citing protocol that only permits the Executive Vice Chairman to speak to the press.
Instead, he requested access to the video footage and assured the public that an investigation into the allegations would be carried out.
