The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has sealed an Abuja-based Chinese supermarket for barring Nigerians and restricting entry to Chinese nationals.
The commission, which on Monday summoned the owner of the supermarket along Airport Road, to appear before it on Wednesday, said it would deploy “regulatory tools” against the management.
The commission gave the directive on Monday following discreet investigations and enquiries from complaints by Nigerians alleging discriminatory practices.
If found wanting, the operator of the supermarket risks sanctions, according to officials.
reported on Sunday that the supermarket had implemented a controversial policy restricting entry solely to Chinese nationals, excluding Nigerians from patronising the establishment.
This policy sparked widespread condemnation across various social media platforms as Nigerians voiced their concerns over the discriminatory treatment.
But visiting the premises on Monday, the commission officials led by the Director for Surveillance and Investigation, Boladale Adeyinka, said the mission of the commission was in response to the viral video when Nigerians were allegedly being discriminated against and denied access to a supermarket located in Abuja.
Adeyinka, at the end of the enforcement, stated that the owner of the supermarket, a Chinese lady, Cindy Liu Bei, fled on Monday at 8:26 am with her family as confirmed on the Closed-Circuit Television camera.
She said, “The essence of the surveillance and investigation that we conducted today is to verify the allegations and the content of that viral video.
“On arrival, we noticed that the supermarket which is right behind me, was sealed and padlocked externally. Inquiries have shown that yes, as this morning this supermarket was open and people were here.
CCTV footage
“CCTV footage also shows that in the morning, two vehicles departed from these very premises allegedly containing the owner of the supermarket, whom we have been able to identify by name and we have her contact details.”
She further directed that the owner appear before the commission tribunal or the compound would remain sealed.
“Now the summons of course, since she’s not around and the place is locked, is to serve notice on her to appear before the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission by Wednesday.
“There are other regulatory tools to be deployed if she fails to attend to this summon. The summons means that on entering into these premises, they must see the summons because that is how they gain access to it”, she said.
She added that if the Chinese owner failed to attend to the summons, which is a lawful inquiry, the mandate of the commission under its powers would seal the premises until she appeared before the commission.
The FCCPC officials subsequently sealed the supermarket. Earlier in the day, the Abuja-based Chinese supermarket closed down its facility following backlash on its controversial policy.
One of our correspondents, who arrived at the premises on Monday at 9.10 am, observed that the grocery store was closed with an anti-theft padlock and no occupant entered the building throughout the day.
Nigerians complain
The development followed complaints by Nigerians, who expressed outrage over a discriminatory policy implemented by the Chinese Supermarket, which restricted entry exclusively to its citizens.
The supermarket situated at the along Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Road (Airport Road) in Abuja, is acclaimed as a destination for Chinese cuisine and beverages.
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 store had given the directive at the beginning of the year without giving reasons.
One of the guards who didn’t wear his name tag and declined to disclose his name, said prospective shoppers who were not Chinese were 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 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.”
Our correspondent was, however, allowed entrance because, according to the officer, “Today is Sunday, and you are covered with grace.”
At the grocery store located at Villa 7, a mixture of foreign and local food, drinks, and essential items was showcased on the shelf with no price tag against the directive of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
One of the attendants, who spoke the Yoruba language, expressed shock that a Nigerian was allowed to gain entry, noting that “Maybe they allowed because you didn’t come with a car.”
She also stated that authorities stopped Nigerians from entering for reasons not known to them.
She noted, “Yes, Nigerians are not allowed to enter the supermarket. Only people who work on the premises are allowed to shop here. There are reasons but we don’t know because it was not like this before. I don’t know how they allowed you in, maybe because you didn’t come with a car. They would never allow anyone who comes with a car to enter the premises.
But at the gate on Monday, our correspondent met another set of security personnel who granted access without any questions.
The guard who did have a name tag said, “You want to go to the supermarket? You can go,” without asking further questions.
For over an hour, nobody entered or exited the compound while our correspondent waited outside. Later in the day, another correspondent who visited the same location corroborated this observation.
Our correspondent also observed heavy security presence by officials from the Department of State Security who came to investigate the incident.
CGCC reacts
Responding to the claims, the China General Chamber Of Commerce, which is in the Royal Choice Estate like the supermarket, denied assertions that any Nigerian was subjected to discrimination or denied access to the estate or supermarket to purchase groceries.
The CGCC stated this in a statement signed by the management and titled, “REJOINDER: Response to Allegations of Discrimination at Chinese Supermarket” on Monday in Abuja.
The chamber explained that the residential area of the estate consists of privately occupied residences and access for external visitors must adhere to security protocols for safety reasons.
It however regretted the actions altercation at the estate’s entrance gate between the security personnel and a customer adding that the incident did not in any way reflect the official position of the estate management.
The statement read in full, “The China General Chamber of Commerce and the supermarket are completely unrelated entities. The residential area of the estate consists of privately occupied residences. Access for external visitors must adhere to security protocols for safety reasons. The supermarket manager asserts that no individual was subjected to discrimination or denied access to the estate or supermarket to purchase groceries.”
It added, “The altercation at the estate’s entrance gate between the security personnel and a customer is regrettable and does not in any way reflect the official position of the estate management. The China General Chamber of Commerce is an organization that believes in equality and inclusiveness. Our principles are to enhance friendship between the people of both countries and promote economic development. Seeing is believing. We welcome firsthand visits to witness the truth.”
Commenting also on the discriminatory policy at the supermarket, the assistant Facility Manager, Sanusi Shuaibu, debunked insinuations that the chamber was biased against Nigerians, noting that the management was not aware of the policy barring Nigerians from entering the store.
Shauibu, speaking in an interview on Monday, affirmed that despite the majority of residents being Chinese, there were no discriminatory policies against Nigerians. He further emphasised that owners and tenants were treated equally, irrespective of nationality.
He said, “The report is not completely true. The estate is residential and we have an office complex that we rent out to tenants. The supermarket was rented to Chinese for residence and selling groceries to cater for the needs of the occupants here. It is a small place where they mainly sell Chinese foodstuff.
“The owners of the supermarket are tenants in these premises. They live and sell their goods in the building. They don’t own anything in this place. They are Chinese individuals and they have been here for two years. There are other tenants too who do other businesses and live here. Everyone here is a tenant. The Chamber of Commerce itself is just a small office.
“We didn’t know anything about the policy at all, if not we would have asked them to move out so that they don’t give a bad name. Some people have been staying here for more than eight years and we have not had any issues. If we had known about it before now, they would have been asked to move out or allow everyone to patronise them.
Shuaibu also claimed not to be aware of the current location of the occupants.
On why our correspondent was allowed unrestricted access on Monday, the assistant manager said a new directive has been given to allow unrestricted access to the building.
The assistant manager denied that the management aided the tenants in escaping scrutiny and investigations.
“We didn’t issue any directive to shut down, I came to the office this morning by 8 am and when I passed through that place, I saw that the gate of the villa was locked from outside. We made attempts to call her on the phone to know her whereabouts due to the controversy but we have not been able to reach her, the network was bad. We didn’t ask her to shut down.”
official at the Media Department at The China General Chamber of Commerce, Micheal Ojenwu, said the CGCC would never discriminate against anyone let alone a Nigerian.
Responding, a Chinese official from the Embassy in the Federal Capital Territory, who has spent three years in Nigeria and chose to remain anonymous, acknowledged the complexity of the situation.
He stressed that the behaviour was not indicative of all Chinese nationals, highlighting the importance of addressing each country’s unique challenges with understanding and fairness.
“The majority of the Chinese people are friendly. You can see that a lot of developed countries have colonised developing countries but China never bullied developing countries.
“I have been here for more than three years and I will still be in Abuja. What is happening is an individual case and not a general issue. It is not fair to all Chinese nationals,” the official noted.
“It was when I came in and heard the situation that I gave instructions that nobody should be stopped henceforth. I was the one who gave the new order. This is a very serious issue. The DSS officials even said if they don’t come back in the next three days, they would have to start looking for them.”