Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has criticised traders protesting against Chinese businesses operating at the Lagos Trade Fair Complex.
The traders staged a protest on Monday, displaying placards with messages including “Chinese must go” and accusing Chinese manufacturers and wholesalers of moving into retail trading and taking customers away from Nigerian businesses.
Reacting to the development in a video shared on Instagram, VeryDarkMan questioned the traders’ approach, arguing that Nigerian businesses needed to adapt to changing market conditions rather than demand the removal of foreign competitors.
He said the traders should focus on developing their businesses and local production, noting that many Nigerian traders depend on China to source the goods they sell in Nigeria.
VeryDarkMan also warned that Nigeria’s dependence on imported goods could become a problem if China restricted Nigerian traders’ access to its market.
“The world has advanced, but they didn’t advance with it,” he said, according to reports on his comments.
The traders, however, have maintained that their protest was not a call for Chinese nationals to leave Nigeria. They said their objection was specifically to Chinese manufacturers and wholesalers allegedly selling directly to consumers within the same markets where Nigerian retailers operate.
One of the protesters said Chinese businesses were able to sell at lower prices because they sourced directly from manufacturers, making it difficult for Nigerian traders to compete.
The protest has sparked wider debate over foreign participation in Nigeria’s retail sector, local manufacturing, competition and the need for clearer regulation of the activities of foreign businesses.
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