Nigeria’s consumer protection watchdog has ordered the closure of a Chinese-owned supermarket in Abuja following allegations of racial discrimination. The authorities claim the supermarket exclusively permits only individuals of Chinese descent to enter, sparking outrage among Nigerian citizens.
Videos shared thousands of times on social media over the weekend show several Nigerians confirming they were denied entry into a Chinese supermarket within the China General Chamber of Commerce complex. Management reportedly told them they only allow Chinese citizens to shop and dine there.
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.”
Another X user, Otunba AbdulFattah @OyedeleFatai, corroborating 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.
The Nigerian Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) shut down the market for the time being after interrogating its Nigerian workers. Those staffers told the agents that the supermarket’s owner, Cindy Liu Bei, fled the store Monday morning with her family. The family was caught on surveillance cameras leaving the store.
The China General Chamber of Commerce was established in Abuja in 2010. Its members oversee Chinese enterprises in Nigeria involving oil, gas, engineering contracting, manufacturing, and more.
China is one of Nigeria’s main trading and investment partners. About 30 percent of Nigerian imports originate from China, according to one 2022 report. Chinese companies are also involved in large infrastructure projects in the country and hire thousands of expatriates.
