A protest was staged on Monday by some traders at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway over claims that Chinese merchants are expanding into retail trading within the market.
The traders voiced fears that the increasing participation of Chinese merchants in retail business might jeopardize the survival of local enterprises and push Nigerian traders out of the market.
The protest was, however, called off later after the Traders Association leadership, local government officials, and the police stepped in.
In a Tuesday interview with our correspondent, the Secretary of the Traders Association at the complex, Juventus Okpala-Okaka, stated that the protesters went ahead even though the market leadership had already taken steps to address their concerns.
Okpala-Okaka stated that the association had gotten complaints from youths in the market regarding the activities of Chinese merchants and, as a result, formed a committee to look into the issue.
He said, “We heard their complaint and decided to set up a committee that would look into it.”
He explained that the youths still went ahead with the protest on Monday, which led the association to invite their representatives to a meeting with its president, who urged them to halt the action while the committee dealt with their grievances.
He noted that the protesters were later asked to nominate between 30 and 50 representatives to collaborate with the committee and the association’s executives.
Okpala-Okaka said a meeting took place on Tuesday that included the committee, the protesters’ representatives, and the association’s executives, and he added that considerable progress was achieved toward settling the dispute.
He said, “Everything was gradually resolved.”
He also mentioned that the local government chairman and the police area commander subsequently visited the complex to evaluate the situation.
He said the officials were briefed on the measures the market leadership had already taken before they addressed the traders, including the Chinese representatives operating in the complex.
He said the intervention contributed further to resolving the matter and added that “things have been resolved.”
Videos making the rounds on social media on Tuesday showed some traders carrying placards with inscriptions, including “Chinese must go.” “They should go far from our market environment and not be taking our customers,” and “This is a peaceful protest.”
In a Facebook post that gave context to the development, Martin Nworah said local traders and distributors were worried that Chinese manufacturers and wholesalers were sidestepping traditional supply chains by opening retail outlets directly within local markets.
Nworah said the protesters believed Chinese merchants were bypassing local middlemen by selling straight to consumers at wholesale prices, thereby undercutting Nigerian traders.
“The entire trading model is based on the middleman, and once the wholesaler becomes the middleman, the retailer is edged out.
“It is not yet too late for business leaders and the government to discuss a strategy to encourage collaboration and protect all relevant interests.
“Left on their own, I do not see these local traders surviving because the Chinese wholesalers have direct access to low-interest credit from home and can afford to import more, sell for less, and capture the market easily,” he said.
Nworah, though, encouraged local traders to seek out partnerships and shift into manufacturing instead of depending entirely on protests.
“While waiting for proper government-backed guidance, wealthy traders who can afford to go into manufacturing should do so now. If you cannot do it alone, team up with your social clubs and do something.
“If you cannot produce the finished product here in Nigeria, find an aspect of the value chain you can support and own right here at home.
“Protests will not solve economic problems because buyers will always seek out the best prices they can get. Collaboration will work best because these traders get most of their goods from China. Stakeholders need to discuss and map out a solution as soon as possible,” he added.
In a video posted by social media activist Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, one of the demonstrators, speaking in Igbo, cautioned that the ongoing influx of Chinese traders into the retail sector might force local traders out of business.
“If this continues, I am telling you, five to six years from now, your shops will be taken away from you,” the trader said.
Stating the traders’ grievances, he acknowledged the importance of their relationship with Chinese merchants but argued that the foreigners should not take over businesses traditionally operated by Nigerians.
“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.
“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.
“If you import goods, they slash their prices lower than ours and sell to our customers. Is this how we would continue? Our forefathers, who did this business before us, were this how they did it? If this continues, five years from now, your shop will be taken away from you,” he said.
In a different brief video, the trader claimed the project might leave local traders dependent, stating, “They want to turn us into slaves,” as others in the crowd chanted, “Say no to China.”
In the meantime, a separate video posted by Jubril Gawat, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on New Media, showed a senior police officer, whose identity was withheld, calling the protesters “disgruntled fellows” and saying arrests would follow.
“This is just the handiwork of a few disgruntled fellows in the market. They have been cautioned, and arrests will be made as soon as possible,” he said.
