…Trade Fair demonstrators accuse Chinese retailers of taking customers
…Ogun’s Adire producers have repeatedly protested imported Chinese imitations
…From Trade Fair to Abeokuta, local traders demand protection from foreign competition
Daud Olatunji
A fresh dispute over the role of Chinese businesses in Nigeria’s retail sector has erupted in Lagos, with traders at the Trade Fair Complex protesting against Chinese nationals engaged in retail trading and chanting, “Chinese must go.”
The development has reopened a wider debate over foreign participation in Nigeria’s domestic trading space, particularly allegations by local traders that Chinese merchants are moving beyond wholesale operations into direct retailing and competing with Nigerian businesses for customers.
Videos from the Lagos protest showed traders gathered at the Trade Fair Complex, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, chanting against Chinese retailers and displaying placards demanding that they leave their market environment.
One of the messages displayed by protesters was: “They should go far from our market environment and not be taking our customers,” while another read, “Chinese must go.”
The protesters reportedly argued that some Chinese merchants who initially operated largely as wholesalers were increasingly selling directly to consumers, thereby competing with Nigerian traders who import and retail similar products.
A trader captured in one of the videos complained that Chinese merchants were able to sell at prices local traders found difficult to match.
The protesters insisted that their demonstration was peaceful and were calling for an end to what they described as direct retail competition from Chinese nationals.
However, as of the time of filing this report, PLATFORM TIMES could not independently establish the number of Chinese-owned retail outlets affected by the protest or verify all the claims made by individual protesters.
No official statement from the Lagos State Government, Trade Fair market management or a representative body of Chinese businesses was immediately available.
While Tuesday’s Lagos demonstration has brought the issue back into the national spotlight, the controversy is not entirely new in neighbouring Ogun State.
For years, producers and traders of Adire, the indigenous tie-and-dye textile associated strongly with Abeokuta and Egbaland, have complained about the influx of Chinese-made imitations into Nigerian markets.
In 2023, stakeholders in Ogun joined a campaign against what they described as fake or imitation Chinese Adire. The campaign included advocacy activities in Abeokuta, with traders and other stakeholders calling for action to protect locally produced Adire from imported imitations.
The issue subsequently attracted national attention.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in October 2023, called on the Federal Government to ban the importation of Chinese Adire and support local producers, warning about the effect of imported imitations on the indigenous industry.
The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo III, also raised concerns over cheap Chinese Adire and its potential threat to the local textile industry. Reports quoted him as expressing concern over the impact of imported Chinese copies on the traditional craft.
In July 2024, the National Association of Ogun State Students also called on the Federal Government to take action against the importation of imitated Adire fabrics from China.
By August 2024, Ogun artisans and Adire stakeholders were again reported to have rallied against what they described as Chinese copycats, insisting that imported imitations were threatening the survival of the indigenous textile industry.
The complaints continued into January 2025, when Adire traders and producers in Ogun raised fresh concerns over what they described as a flood of Chinese imitation fabrics in local markets.
The traders alleged that the imported fabrics were being sold more cheaply than locally produced Adire, making it difficult for indigenous producers to compete.
The issue has also featured in comments attributed to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun.
According to a media report Abiodun acknowledged the incursion of Chinese businesses into the local Adire industry, saying Chinese operators copied local designs, produced them in China and sold the fabrics at cheaper prices.
The governor reportedly said that when he assumed office, the Adire industry was already facing serious challenges partly because of the competition from Chinese-made copies.
The development subsequently fuelled calls for stronger protection of Ogun’s textile heritage and greater support for local production.
The Lagos protest therefore comes against a longer-running background of tension between Nigerian traders and foreign businesses.
In June 2012, traders at Balogun Market protested against Chinese businessmen whom they accused of undermining their businesses through retail sales at cheaper prices.
The traders, according to a contemporary Vanguard report, alleged that they had been operating at losses since Chinese businessmen began selling leather products directly to consumers at lower prices.
More than a decade later, similar complaints have resurfaced at the Trade Fair Complex.
The recurring dispute points to a deeper question: where should the line be drawn between foreign investment, legitimate competition and the protection of indigenous traders?
For the protesting traders, the argument is about survival.
They contend that foreign merchants with access to large manufacturing and supply chains can import products at lower costs and sell them directly to consumers, leaving Nigerian retailers struggling to compete.
Chinese businesses are also major participants in Nigeria’s import, manufacturing and distribution ecosystem, while many Nigerian traders travel to China to source goods for the Nigerian market.
The current dispute therefore goes beyond nationality. It touches on the structure of Nigeria’s retail economy, the strength of local manufacturing, access to affordable finance, electricity costs, importation, customs enforcement, consumer prices and the ability of Nigerian businesses to compete.
Critics of the protesters’ position have argued that banning or forcing out foreign competitors without addressing Nigeria’s production and infrastructure challenges could fail to solve the underlying problem.
Social commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has already weighed into the Lagos controversy, arguing that Nigerian traders should also focus on improving local production and adapting to changing market conditions.
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