….condemns the maltreatment and xenophobic discrimination against Nigerians in the Peoples Republic of China
…suggests a six-point resolution
FOLUSHO ALADE, ABUJA
The spokesperson for the House of Representatives, HONOURABLE BENJAMIN OKEZIE KALU has condemned what he termed institutional racial discrimination against Nigerians living in China.
In a motion sponsored by the lawmaker on the floor of the Green Chamber on Tuesday, titled: “MALTREATMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AGAINST NIGERIANS LIVING IN CHINA BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA”. The lawmaker representing the good people of BENDE FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY in Abia State urged his colleagues to take decisive actions to stem the trend.
In his submission KALU highlighted the mutual diplomatic and economic relationship that exists between Nigeria and China and the trade volume between the two countries:
”we areaware that as a result of the mutually beneficial diplomatic and economic relationship between Nigeria and China, about 10,000 Nigerians including investors, traders, workers and students currently reside in and around Guangzhou in the Guangdong Province of the Peoples Republic of China and have generated massive trade volume between the two countries such that for 2019 alone the Nigeria-China trade value was worth over $8.6 billion” He said.
According to him in recent times the PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA through its Police force has been carrying out series of assaults, embarrassments, illegal detention and forceful eviction of Nigerians and other Africans living in Guangzhou under the pretext of curbing the spread of the Covid 19 pandemic.
“Sometimes in April 8, 2020, photos and videos emanated across various social media depicting the institutionalized racial discrimination, maltreatment, xenophobic assaults, embarrassments, illegal detention and forceful eviction of Nigerians and other Africans living in Guangzhou.
“Under the pretext of curbing the spread of COVID-19, which ironically originated in Wuhan, China, several kinds of maltreatments of Nigerian citizens in Guangzhou have been perpetrated by Chinese people and authorities.
“These include, wrongful confiscation of Nigerian international passports, prolonged and illegal detaining of Nigerians in the name of mandatory quarantining despite holding a certificate of clean health and no recent travel history, outright refusal to test or release the test results, and the eviction of Nigerians from their homes, hotel accommodations, refusal of entry into shops, pharmacies, restaurants and hospitals, including beating of Nigerians on the streets with no police intervention among others.
Citing Article 5 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 which empowers the Nigerian Consul General in China to exercise his function of protecting the interest of nationals of Nigeria, HONOURABLE KALU stated that those powers were violated by the Chinese authorities.
“In the exercise of his function of protecting the interest of nationals of his sending State as provided for under Article 5 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963, the Nigerian Consul General was treated in clear violation of Article 40 of the same treaty which requires the receiving State to treat consular officers with due respect and to take all appropriate steps to prevent attack on their persons, freedom or dignity;
“This dignity was abused by the Chinese government when they ignored the request of the Nigerian High Commissioner to allow Nigerians back to their accommodation, access to hospitals or restaurants which led to the High Commissioner himself buying and distributing food to Nigerians who where hopeless and lying in the streets under the rain.
“Also recall the troubling case of Mr. Felix Awah Elijah, a Nigerian citizen and legal resident in China who mysteriously disappeared after his abduction and prolonged illegal detention by Chinese police authorities sometime around 6th February, 2019; and of which all letters and appeals from Rep. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, his representative in the House, were ignored by Chinese Authorities”
“The actions of the Chinese authorities do not reciprocate the favourable treatment enjoyed by their nationals in Nigeria who thrive and operate businesses which in several cases completely disregard our extant laws on immigration and expatriate quota, but have instead, put a strain on the diplomatic and economic relations between Nigeria and China thereby endangering Nigerian businesses in China valued at billions of dollars” KALU protested.
In the motion co-sponsored by ;Rep. Yusuf Buba, Rep. John Dyegh, Rep. Babajimi Benson,Rep. Tunji Olawuyi, Rep. Zakari Galadima, Rep. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Rep. Nnoli Nnaji, Rep. Dennis Idahosa, Rep. Tolu Shadipe and unanimously supported by every member of the House, KALU urge the House to endorse the following resolutions;
(i) condemn, in its entirety, the maltreatment and xenophobic discrimination against Nigerians in the Peoples Republic of China;
(ii) urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies to, as a matter of urgency, ensure that all Nigerians who wish to return home, including Nigerians that only visited for business, Nigerians with any form of travel document and identification, Nigerians with passports but expired visas, and Nigerians with passports and valid visas who have been ejected by house owners, Nigerians who have tested negative to Covid-19, are evacuated from China and quarantined upon arrival;
(iii) urge the Attorney General of the Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies to provide all necessary financial and other assistance to any affected Nigerian citizen in China who wish to seek redress in any local or international court for breach of fundamental rights, loss of property or any other actionable cause occasioned by their maltreatment or discrimination in China;
(iv) mandate the House Committees on Interior, Local Content and Commerce to investigate the Nigerian Immigration, Corporate Affairs Commission, Nigerian Content and Development Monitoring Board, and any other relevant Ministry, Department or Agency to check the validity of all immigration documents of every Chinese person in Nigeria and the expatriate quota of all the Chinese businesses in Nigeria to ascertain the number of illegal and undocumented Chinese immigrants in Nigeria and to repatriate them to China to regularise;
(v) mandate the Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Relations, Foreign Affairs, Human Rights and Diaspora to ascertain the extent of violation of rights of Nigerians in China as well as losses arising from such maltreatments and to further engage the Chinese Parliament appropriately to register Nigeria’s National Assembly condemnation of maltreatment and xenophobic discrimination against Nigerians in China and to ensure the cessation of such actions by its people and government and that treatments meted to Nigerians are compatible with China’s human rights obligations, and to report back to the House within 2 weeks;
(vi) urge the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to concur to this resolution.
Recall that sometimes in April 8, 2020, photos and videos emanated across various social media platforms showing evidences of discrimination, maltreatment, xenophobic assaults, embarrassments, illegal detention and forceful eviction of Nigerians and other Africans living in Guangzhou.
