Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the apex consumer protection agency in the country says it has sealed an elitist Chinese restaurant and mall in the nation’s commercial capital, Lagos, for alleged racism.
Announcing that the Haufei Restaurant & Mall was sealed on Saturday via a tweet from @fccpcnigeria, FCCPC said that it “closed Haufei Restaurant & Mall 33 Aboyade Cole, VI based on credible intel & surveillance that the biz declines service to Nigerians.
“Staff of the biz admitted this is the policy & our operatives experienced same. Both now closed for further regulatory action.”
But the management of the Huafei Chinese Restaurant, Victoria Island Lagos, on Sunday, denied any wrongdoing in the allegation of discrimination against Nigerians in its service, calling on the FCCPC re-open its business premises “and tender an apology to it for taking an action that is unfair to it and negatively affecting its business and reputation.”
In a press statement signed by the Media Consultant to the Huafei Nigeria Limited, owners of the Huafei, Mr Ikenna Emewu regretted that the allegation has been generating negative responses against Huafei was done in absolute bad faith.
According to the statement, “the allegation that we discriminate against and refuse to serve Nigerians or reject their business patronage is totally wrong and absolute falsehood.”
Stating that the allegation “by the FCCPC is unfounded and just malicious to destroy our business interest in Nigeria. For the records, prior to the punitive action, no operative of the agency, a known federal government commission that should follow procedures and know what fair hearing means ever approached the management of the business for response in case it got any complaint about the business place.
“We then ask for unreserved apology from the FCCPC and its Director General, Babatunde Irukera who has scandalized and maligned us on the social media through his twitter handle when his agency did not act professionally in sealing up our business premises. We insist that it is Mr. Irukera and the FCCPC that should rather bear the right toga of discrimination against us possibly because we are not Nigerians.
“We also affirm that we hold the Nigerian system and the people to high esteem because they have all been kind to us as individuals and our businesses in the past 20 years we have done business and lived in the country.”
