Igbo traders at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway staged a protest against Chinese nationals accused of selling goods directly to consumers as retailers.
The demonstration took place in markets linked to the Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association, known as ASPMDA.
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Videos circulated online showed traders carrying placards reading “Chinese must go”, “They should go far from our market environment and not be taking our customers”, and “This is a peaceful protest.”
An unnamed trader, speaking in Igbo, said Chinese businesses had first come as wholesalers and later rented shops and built warehouses to sell as retailers. “What we are saying is that the personal relationship between us and the Chinese is important to us, but they should not do our business,” the trader said. “They came and built warehouses, rented shops and are now selling as we do as retailers. If we send a waybill, they copy the customer’s number. We no longer make sales.”
The same trader said the protest was not a call to attack people or property. “If any of us spoils anything here, the person will pay for it. We are not saying we are going to beat the Chinese or spoil their warehouse.” The trader also warned that if the pattern continued, shops could be lost within five to six years.
Secretary of the Traders Association in the complex, Juventus Okpala-Okaka, said young traders had already complained to market leaders, who set up a committee.
The protest still went ahead on Monday. Association executives then asked the protesters to nominate between 30 and 50 representatives to work with the committee. After a meeting on Tuesday, Juventus Okpala-Okaka said “everything was gradually resolved” and later added that “things have been resolved.”
ASPMDA President Nnamdi Ngozi Emechebe called the incident a minor protest that was brought under control. “I’m assuring the rest of the world and Nigerians at large that there’s no issue in ASPMDA Plaza,” Nnamdi Ngozi Emechebe said. “We are a highly organised trade association, so everything is under our control.”
Lagos State Police Area E Commander ACP Chike Oti briefed reporters at the complex on Tuesday with Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Chairman Prince Lanre Sanusi, association officials, other security agencies and a representative of the Chinese community. ACP Chike Oti said a few “miscreants” and “disgruntled fellows” had gone “the other way”, had been cautioned, and would be arrested. “I want to assure all Nigerians and foreign investors that there is peace, security and tranquillity within the complex,” ACP Chike Oti said. “There was no fight at all.”
Prince Lanre Sanusi said there was no wider breakdown between Nigerian and Chinese traders at the market. A Chinese community representative said daily trade had remained peaceful and that Nigeria was “a very big market” in which people could find opportunities.
The traders’ complaint is about the distribution chain. They say Chinese operators can import more cheaply and then sell at prices closer to wholesale, cutting out local middlemen.
That claim has not been independently measured in public reporting. What has been reported is the protest, the alleged poaching of customers from waybills, the price undercutting complaint, and the official effort to calm the market.
The complex had already seen other commercial friction, including a recent dispute involving perfume sellers and Lattafa Store.
Public reaction to this latest protest has been divided. Some argue foreign traders should operate if they obey Nigerian law. Others say local retailers cannot survive if manufacturers and wholesalers also occupy the retail stall.
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As of Tuesday evening, police, the local council and ASPMDA said the situation was calm. No verified report has established attacks on Chinese shops or a market-wide shutdown caused by this protest.
Mariam Balogun is a contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
