Recent reports allege that the management of a Chinese supermarket has adopted an under-the-table policy that discriminates against Nigerian customers, refusing them entry and the opportunity to shop at the store.
The China General Chamber of Commerce, nestled along Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Road in Abuja, is the hub of the Chinese supermarket.
On Sunday, journalists visited the Chinese supermarket in question, driven by a determination to uncover the truth behind the allegations. When they reached the premises, they approached the security personnel stationed at the entrance, who were quick to confirm the existence of such a racially discriminatory policy, which reportedly went into effect earlier in the year without any concrete justification provided 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 informed of any reason for the policy, but we have told them to remove all adverts from the Internet so that people would stop coming.”
Adding to the mounting evidence, a video has surfaced online featuring an unnamed individual speaking out about his personal experience of discrimination at the same Chinese supermarket. The man, visibly frustrated and upset, revealed that he had been turned away from the store due to his non-Chinese ethnicity. In an impassioned plea, he emphasized the unacceptability of such prejudiced practices on Nigerian soil, underscoring the need to stand against racism and discrimination within the country’s diverse society.
The man said, “This must be a joke. Does that mean as a Nigerian, I do not have the right to enter a public place. As a Nigerian, I definitely cannot try this in China.”
As the controversy swirled, the Punch news outlet dispatched a correspondent to reach out to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission for their official statement. However, Nicholas Utsalo, the Senior Public Relations Officer, was bound by protocol, stating that he was unable to comment to the press without clearance from the Executive Vice Chairman. Nonetheless, Utsalo assured the public that the commission would launch an investigation into the matter upon review of the viral video and urged patience as the authorities sought a suitable resolution.
