The Chinese authorities and a group of Nigerian businessmen are at loggerheads over an allegations of discrimination against its members.
They are accusing the Chinese government of denying them visa to attend an international summit billed to start on Thursday October 30, 2008 in China.
The development is coming on the heels of allegation that a majority of Nigerians who visit the far-east country are involved in drug trafficking and other sundry criminal activities.
However, the Chinese Consulate General in Nigeria Mr. Guo Kun dismissed the claim, saying there was no truth in the allegation.
In a telephone interview with our correspondent on Thursday, the envoy said the accuser was a joker and should not be listened to.
”The petitioner must either be joking or merely peddling rumour. The embassy has been issuing visa to all genuine applicants in the spirit of the relationship between the countries. We are really giving a push to the bilateral ties between Nigeria and China,” Kun stressed.
In a letter to a Nigerian group, International Business Group and made available by email to SUNDAY PUNCH, a Shanghai based organisation, JCtrans Logistics Network through its Overseas Department Manager, Crystal Zheng, however, claimed that current Chinese government policy had made it difficult to invite Nigerians to China.
The letter reads in part, ”These days we have tried our best to help you get official invitation letter from Chinese government, but due to nowadays Chinese government policy, it is very difficult to get invitation letter for Nigerian people.
”Chinese government told us there are many drug traffickers from Nigeria and when Nigerian people come to China, most of them are involved in crime activity, that‘s why they refused to issue invitation letter for Nigerian people. We have told them your company is good in Nigeria, but our explanation was useless to them.
“Please trust that we really hope you can come to attend our conference and establish good relationship with your organisation by chance, but so regret that we can‘t change Chinese government‘s regulation. So I am afraid that we can’t help you get invitation letter for visa as we have been warned that we would be punished if we contravene government‘s policy.”
But the IBG Nigeria principal consultant, Mr. Ndudi Osakwe in a petition to the envoy dated last October 15, alleged that some businessmen billed for a conference in China had been denied visa by the embassy.
”We have gathered a crop of hard working Nigerian Logistics and Freight Forwarding Practitioners to attend a summit put together by JC Trans, a Shanghai-based company.
“We have paid all fees, paid for flights and reserved hotel rooms only to be informed by the company that they would not be able to provide us with official letters of invitation (pre-requisite to getting visas) for the sole reason that Nigerians are drug pushers and criminals. This is not acceptable,” he said.
Mr. Osakwe, who also spoke to our correspondent said the envoy’s claim was spurious, alleging that it was only the Nigerian delegation that was denied visa to attend the summit.
It would be recalled that last Thursday in Guangzhou, South China, a Nigerian, Sunday Ogbonna Okah along with three foreigners, was convicted for trafficking in heroine.