Nigerian Foreign Minister Says No Evidence of Discrimination Against Nigerians in Guangzhou

Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said on April 14 that no evidence of discrimination was found after an investigation into the alleged mistreatment of Nigerian people in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.  

Onyeama said a group of Nigerian citizens were confirmed to have COVID-19 after arriving in Guangzhou from Nigeria in the early days of the epidemic. One of them is an owner of a restaurant that was popular with many Africans. 

Therefore, local governments closed related venues and required the people involved to undergo a 14-day quarantine to prevent the virus from spreading.  

To lower the risks brought by imported cases, Guangzhou has implemented strict quarantine measures. People under mandatory quarantine are not allowed to return to their homes or hotels.  

"However, it was misinterpreted by some of the Nigerians and Africans," said Onyeama. "[They] could not understand why it seems to be selective and targeting only themselves," he added. 

Also, Onyeama said some media incorrectly interpreted the issue based solely on videos on social media platforms and alleged that Nigerians, and African people in general, were being discriminated against in Guangzhou.  

"I am happy to say that we have re-established and stabilized the situation together with the ChineseGovernment," said Onyeama.  

Onyeama noted there is nothing wrong with Guangzhou applying strict anti-epidemic policies based on the experience of Wuhan, but he also suggested Guangzhou authorities improve their communication while implementing the policies. 

Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Zhou Pingjian reiterated that China treats all foreigners equally and has zero tolerance of racism and any such wrong behavior will be corrected. 

Zhou stressed that China-Nigeria relations were unbreakable, adding that the Guangzhou government is fighting against the epidemic, not Nigerians, Africans or any foreigners. 

Onyeama made the comments at a joint press conference with the Chinese ambassador on April 14 in Abuja, capital of Nigeria. 

Source: ChinAfrica