Guangzhou, the Chinese city many Nigerians dread to visit

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/weekend/article01//indexn2_html?pdate=190908&ptitle=Guangzhou,%20the%20Chinese%20city%20many%20Nigerians%20dread%20to%20visit

Friday, September 19, 2008              

Guangzhou, the Chinese city many Nigerians dread to visit

It is certainly not the best of times for Nigerians visiting the Chinese city of Guangzhou as the police authorites have launched an onslaught on them because of the criminal activities of a few. Olukayode Thomas who visited the city recently, writes that while some are languishing in jails, as they could not afford to pay the fines for overstaying their Visa, or buy ticket for their eventual deportation, many are in hospitals because of injuries sustained while trying to avoid arrest and eventual deportation.

FLOWERS and trees on the sidewalks of San Yuan Li Street, in Guangzhou, epitomise the beauty of the city. With an ever-green scenery and flowers blooming, the city boasts of many tourist attractions.

Like Athens of Greece and Rome of Italy, Guangzhou, capital of the southern province of Guangdong, has a history of more than 2800 years. There are a lot of interesting legends concerning its past. One of the beautiful stories which gives the city its name: Goat-town, says that five gods riding on five goats, brought the first grain to the city.

Besides tales and stories, here and there, another interesting scene is playing out in the city formerly known as Canton. It is the plight of Nigerians languishing in jails or living in hospitals because of injuries sustained while trying to avoid arrest and eventual deportation.

In the last few months, the heat has been on them. They are alleged to be engaged in all manners of crimes such as murder, armed robbery, drug dealing, credit card fraud, 4-1-9.

A few months ago, the situation in San Yuan Li, especially when one enters the street from Jina Jiang Material Store, or from Okeke shop near Yun Fu Hotel, and about 400m down to where Bao Kang Tang Medicine Stores, renamed by Nigerian is located was a no go area.

Everyday from 6:00pm till one hours of the morning, Nigerians in Guangzhou gathered at Okeke's shop to drink beer.

Okeke is a Chinese renamed Okeke by the Nigeria Community, and his shop where they gather is called IgboEze. Tables and chairs are arranged from the Okeke shop to Ada Pharmacy where they gather to drink Malaria paraga, which is, sold at 10RMB a cup (N170)

While they gathered to drink and banter with each other, pedestrian, cyclists and motorbikes and other road users who ordinarily use the sidewalk, either risk their life to walk on the major road and face on coming vehicle, or use the sidewalk and risk being molested by Nigerian that gathered to enjoy them. Young girls and ladies risk being dragged or being touched lynched in sensitive parts.

In fact, Okeke's place is a makeshift shop built by Seven Up and painted in Pepsi colours, so there is no space for Toilets. After rounds and rounds of drinks, one would be pressed. Yun Fu Hotel nearby that would have served the purpose, has banned any form of dealing with Nigerians and Nigerians entering the premises.

Pressed after rounds and rounds of drinks, flowers and trees planted to beautify the sidewalk provides succour to release urine.

At the best of times, and in many Chinese cities the police daily arrest Nigerian because of the criminal activities of a few who are into drugs, 4-1-9, disturbance of public peace and armed robbery.

Other crimes associated with Nigerians include murder, violence conduct and refusal to pay for goods.

But Nigerians have never been hounded in China the way they are being hounded in the last few months. The latest onslaught according to those who described themselves as law abiding Nigerians in China are the influx of many Nigeria business men.

However, trouble was said to have started when a Nigerian was alleged to have murdered a Chinese lady. According to reports in Guangzhou, the lady was murdered and crated as parcel to Nigeria. At the warehouse where the crate was deposited, offensive odour was said to have polluted the environment, forcing the owner of the warehouse to alert the police.

That unfortunate incident in July, was said to have changed the colour of things in the beautiful city. Now the streets and the homes and even their shops have failed to be heaven of peace.

The Chinese police now raid the hotels, streets, shops and every black face is stopped and asked to produce his passport or any means of identification. If you have found to have over stayed , it is straight to jail.

Once in jail, the process for one deportation will not begin until one pays a fine of Five thousand Chinese RMB (N85, 000) for over staying one's visa. After the fine has been paid, one will also have to buy return ticket to Nigeria.

There are cases where even when one has paid the fine and could still remain in jail for three months or more. For those who claimed that they have served various jail terms, life there was tough as they confided The Guardian

Prison conditions are said to be deplorable. Prisoners are fed once a day and the meal is rice and water. While those that are arrested ends up in various prisons awaiting deportation, those that attempted to escape arrest, either ran into moving vehicle or jump from storey buildings.

Many of them are on wheelchairs; many are on crutches, while a few are paralysed for life. There are also many who are in the hospitals undergoing various medical intervention .

Many of them came to China to buy products and return home, while a few decided to start business and own shops. And before anybody could say Jack, Nigerians have taken over the place: The Canal on Guang Yan Road.

The place is home to about six flourishing shopping complex. Majority of them are into sales of textiles and shoes.There are also scores of African restaurant and a few who are into cargo business.

Effortlessly, many of these traders were said to have integrated into the Chinese society in Guangzhou. Many of them are married to Chinese women and they have grown up children.

Problem for the Nigerian community in Guangzhou began with a new generation of Nigerians who arrive about five years ago. The new arrival started forming cult societies, and there emerged three cult societies, which according to founders are formed to check insults.

The law abiding Nigerian in Guangzhou claimed these group armed with all manners of weapon go about checking insult, imposing fines, making enforcing laws. On the heel of these cultists came drug dealers, armed robbers and murderers.

Apart from Nigerians, many Chinese have been victims of these cultists. There were reported cases of people raped, and killed whose bodies are cut into pieces and kept in freezers.

The increase in criminal activities of Nigerians led to the host community police and immigration refusal to extend their visas or give them resident permit. Now, any Nigerian in China who has overstayed his visa is champed in determination.

Marriages to a Chinese lady do not guarantee extension of visa or a resident permit. Because many Nigerians have to return when their visa has expired, the Chinese now go from house to house, hotel to hotel looking for Nigerians living in China illegally.

Many Nigerians agreed that a few of them are into crimes but they claimed the police are not after the criminal, because the bad boys have succeeded in penetrating the police with money.

"All these guys that are committing murders and dealing on drugs are friends of the police and the police know them. The Chinese have a very effective and efficient police network, but they have succeeded in penetrating the top police official with heavy bribe," one of them told The Guardian.

"Now, most people don't even carry Nigerian passport again, the police will go to Hong Kong on their behalf and get them Malawi, Gambia or any other Africa countries passport for two thousand American dollar, so they can be free from any form of harassment. Where will a petty trader like me get that king of money" said Okechukwu Stanley.

Many Nigerians like Okechukwu urged the Federal government to send a plane to China and evacuate Nigerians. "We are tired of this place, we are living in bondage, and Chinese government and people do not recognized our rights. If not for payment of fines and the fact that you have to buy your ticket before you are deported, many would have gone home.

"We have made several appeals to the embassy, but they do not care. In fact we don't have an embassy in China. Many believed that they are working with the police and getting a cut out of the fine. We are appealing to President Yar'Adua to send a plane to evacuate us," said Okechukwu.

The Guardian efforts to speak to the officials of the Nigerian embassy in Beijing on the issue raised were rebuffed as the Ambassador and other top officials of the embassy are always in a meeting.

Because of the onslaught on Nigerians by the Police, unscrupulous Chinese take the advantage to extort money from Nigerians living in China illegally. They go about in buses, especially in the night and round up Nigerians.

Those arrested are now told to call their relatives for bails or they will be taken to the station, and from there to prison. Tales are abound of hundreds of Nigeria who have fallen victims. There are also cases of policemen exhorting money from Nigerians.

The onslaught is also affecting business. There is a group of Nigerians who claimed that Chinese traders at the canal textiles market who are daily being sent out of business by Nigerians are fuelling the police harassment.

Many Nigerians now marry Chinese ladies or have Chinese girl friends that runs their shops and business for them. But this also has it own drawback. In most cases, when the business grows, the ladies connive with Chinese men and take over the business.

There are also cases of Nigerians especially women who left their goods in custody of Chinese business partners, and they never get the goods back again. There are also cases of Nigerians who buy goods from the Chinese and absconded.

There are cases where manufacturers of products refuse to honour agreements with Nigerians. Ironically when cases of that nature gets to the Chinese police, they act fast and recover the goods or the money, when Nigerians are on the receiving end but turn a deaf ear when the victims are Nigerians.

Austin Omeriege, a Nigerian married to a Chinese blamed the Nigeria Embassy and the Federal government for the Chinese lack of respect for Nigeria and Nigerians.

Omereige claimed that there are more five thousand Nigerians in detention for overstaying their visas. "To renew your visa here is now a problem, you have to exit from China and then come back.

"They stopped renewing our documents since 2003. They don't just want to see a Nigeria Passport. Many are in prison today because they could not afford to pay the fine of 5000KMB and buy ticket back to Nigeria,".

"Many Nigerians are losing their stores to Chinese women. I am married to a Chinese lady. I went to the immigration to renew my stay and they gave me six months. In Lagos, I paid N9000 for the renewal. When I arrived, the local immigration told me to have to exit China every three months so that my visa will be renewed."

Omereige said many Nigerians are in hospitals as a result of accident they sustained while trying to avoid police arrest. He blamed Nigerians for the problem of Nigerians in Guangzhou and China as a whole.

"Apart from the criminal activities of our boys, another problem is that we don't have a leader, we don't speak with one voice, most of the people that pretend to be leaders are just doing for what they can get from the people and being police informant.

"The only time we had something close to a leader was when Pastor Okey was our leader but because of leadership tussle, our people who are police informant reported to the police that Okey is pastor and that he has being threatening people who are not Christians with hell fire, that was why he was deported."

Presently, getting a house to rent by a Nigerian is a tall order, once you show a Nigerian passport, the landlord or the agent will shut the door.

Staying in a hotel too is equally difficult. Since most Nigerians don't document a requirement before one is accommodated. But one could not blame the Chinese solely for their refusal to either rent out their house or hotel.

There are so many instances where Nigerian tenants will pay for a few months and refuse to pay for many months. The Chinese are naturally conservative and easy going, they could not accommodate the Nigerian culture of a flat harbouring many people, generally being noisy and rowdy and playing music aloud.

They could not also understand Nigerian culture of fighting in hotel, breaking things, drinking outside till the wee hours after the day work, in fact many hotels in Guangzhou will never accommodate a Nigerian for all the money in the world.

But Chinedu Obasi believed it is wrong for the Chinese not give the next person a benefit of doubt, "No doubt, our track record is bad, but it is not everybody, only a few bad eggs are involved. But once you are a Nigerian, they will not rent a house to you.

"There are some of them who will promise to rent an apartment, but once you pay the deposit, they will tell you there is no house, and if you ask of your money, they will tell you to go and report to the police.

" There many Nigerians who are resident here legally but they just went to renew their papers and their find themselves in deportation camp from where they are deported home after three or more months in detention."

Obasi restated that not all Nigerians in Guangzhou are criminals. He claimed that some of them are agents of companies who are doing multi-million naira businesses with the Chinese.

" It is only the ordinary Chinese man on the street or traders that are competing with Nigerian traders that are happy with these developments. Many of the Chinese big time businessmen are not happy.

"About 80 per cent of containers that leave here for Africa goes to Nigeria, and many of the Nigerian companies that do business in China wants to leave somebody here, because of the distance and the cost of flight ticket, it does not make sense for one to be shutting here monthly.

"The Chinese thinks that containers that leave for Benin Republic and Togo are owned by indigenes of those countries, but they actually belong to Nigerians while traders of these countries get visa extension, Nigerians are denied." He lamented .

Another Nigerian Lawrence Njoku said many Nigerians are not only ready to leave, but they are willing to pay the fine and buy their ticket since they are tired of living in bondage.

"But the problem is that, there is nobody to act and negotiate on our behalf. The Nigerian union here is dead because of leadership tussle. The Nigerian Embassy is not ready to help. We have sent them series of petitions, photographs of Nigerians with broken legs and arms, those paralysed, but there have not been any response.

"Guangzhou has the highest concentration of Nigeria in China, for over five years, they have promised to open a consulate here, they have not done so we want to go home and we want the president to help us.

"Because, if we give ourselves willingly to the police, they will still detain us indefinitely that is why many of us are scared of giving ourselves up. We are tired of living on the run. You rent a house; you are scared of going there because of fear of being attacked in the night. Many are sleeping in the open."

Uche Okpara agreed that many are misbehaving, "but we should not suffer for the sins of the others. The Chinese government is compounding the problem by not legalizing our stay. If we are legally resident, we will be able to go to the police and report the few bad eggs."

"But right now, we cannot do that; we can't go to the police for fear of being arrested. And the police too have been compromised. They know the criminal, but they will not arrest them."

"It is the struggling one like us that are arrested and detained you will eat only white rice and water. They complain that we stay out late and drink but we are too scared to go home sleep because the police will just break in and carry you and that is where you story end."

The culture of fear is so strong that many of the people The Guardian interviewed will not allow their photographs taken. However the few that volunteered did so as they believe that if the police come after them they will only be deported and detained because of their bad health condition.

For Edo State born Ayo Ibukun, a former leader of the Nigeria community in Guangzhou who had to move to Beijing because of what he described as the unruly behaviours of Nigerians, the present onslaught on Nigerians in China is unfortunate, but he blamed Nigerians for the problem.

Ibikun explained that the Chinese have been nice and blamed the situation on the criminal activity of some Nigerians.

He wondered how a society would not unleash a reign of terror on people who will kill human beings, cut them into pieces and put their bodies in the fridge.

Or people who go about with gun and cutlasses killing each other because of debts owed or debt not paid.

Ibikun wondered why the police will not unleash a reign of terror on people that commit robbery and all forms of behaviour that are not acceptable in normal society.

Said Ibukun: "Well, the Chinese naturally are very friendly people; they accept you, they take you for whom you are and they believe in whatever you say until they discover that you are telling lies. The visa policy was not as bad as this before but because of the strange things happening, because of the crime, they had to check the influx of people into their country because they do not know who is a criminal and who is not. So you won't blame them. But like me, I have been here now for almost six years, I have travelled to Nigeria and come back. I have no criminal record not even one. Some of our boys here are doing 419, some of them are in jail for eleven years, 13 years, some of them do not know what has happened to them, their people do not know what has happened to their relatives who are here. My only anger is that every person here is not a criminal and even the people coming to do business, most of them are not criminals.

"Some of them are well established individuals. And may be if they are coming here for the first time, it makes it difficult, but if they come and willingly leave, by the next time they are coming again, it becomes easier for them. So, I do not have to blame the Chinese government, but I am saying that there should be no blanket treatment for every body because Nigeria is about 140 million people, if five percent of Nigerians are criminals, that means we still have about 95 percent who are decent people.

"And I must tell you that the percentage of Nigerians who are involved in 419; robbery and all other crimes are less than one percent. So why should we allow our country to be stigmatised. I granted a similar interview to a foreign journalist recently and they are also doing investigation about the activities of Nigerians here and what they do, what are their pains, what is the agony they go through, because actually it is agonising, when you go to a place and they say because you are from this country, you have to come this way, we are not going to extend your papers, we were not going to do this for you. You have to go and get a note from the embassy or stuff like that and somebody from America can come here and over stay, and if he wants to go, they just allow him to go even if he pays fine. Sometimes Nigerians will want to pay the fines and go, but the police will still detain them for as long as it pleases them, and it is not supposed to be."

"The Chinese government said the embassies should arrange for a prisoner swap, people who are detained here should be released to our government to serve their prison term in Nigeria, and if there are Chinese in Nigerian prison, they should be released to serve their term in China but we have been delaying it from our own side."

"You can quote me, that I said it that the government should try and make such arrangement. I know our prison are not good but you need to be in their prisons here,".

"So, our government should expedite actions and see that the prison swap agreement is facilitated so that the people, who are serving prison terms, can be returned to Nigeria. If not for any reason that their people will be able to visit them, know their conditions. I do not support crime, people who are criminals should be punished but in punishing a criminal you must also observe that he is a human being, and he has his own right. You cannot keep people in a place where they don't even have access to lawyers.

"In China, their lawyers are as good as a piece of paper. He cannot fight for you. The policeman can tell him, you go away and he goes. But not in Nigeria.

"In China, their lawyers are as good as a piece of paper. He cannot fight for you. The policeman can tell him, you go away and he goes. But not in Nigeria.

So they can still call'em lawyers huh ?

Nigerians are involved in various nefarious activities in Guangzhou rangging from drugs,fraud,rape etc but Nigeria still have many  innocent  people, so sad innocent onces has to pay for the sins they did not commit.God  help up

...to say the truth many nigerians in china suffer on a daily basis...the nigerian passport in ur pocket is like carrying a kilo of cocaine..or explosives in an airport.....when i was living in canton ..a senior policeman paid me a visit asking me why i  hang out with west africans n if i knew how dangerous my brothers were...i was left with no words...west africans; did he know that was half the continent n y did he decide to lump all of them as a groud of bad people just coz he met a few bad ones..something needs to be done n quick...n chinese public should try to know more about other people..foreigners...in this case.

In life, most people only see what's right in front of them.  In all fairness, even if there's only a small percentage of Nigerians doing all these nasty things, they're the only types of Nigerians we hear about.  The only big news you ever hear about Nigeria are negative news...unfortunately.

NINJA ASSASSIN, to be honest I'm glad that guy generalized.  Maybe it wasn't a fair generalization but I'd say it's a good start, esp. coming from a Chinese.  I'm very pro-East Africa, so if the Chinese focusses their attention on the Western part of the continent then I suppose the Eastern Africans can still chill with our clean "whitelisted" passports.

...in short bad people exist even in the vatican....what some first  bunch of foreigners do in any country  is pretty much used to define any new comers from their group..nationals...think its human nature to label...like most chinese in kenya have already earned a label for being very cheap......n very loud..but not all chinese r cheap n loud

This aint gonna stop soon,l myself is beginning to dislike or hang around with many blacks if l stay in a foreign country, bcos we black africans dont respect ourselves in the public and in the foreign land. We often wants to get all things at once,thereby committing many dangerous crimes. Also black africans are being known for being too noisy and often fighting in the public. i think this trait is built already in us,but its only the wise people that is controlling themselves.I think we should respect ourself so the public and our hosting countries will respect us too.
On the other hand, the media and the public is disrespecting us bcos our so called leaders is not standing out for us, they dont speak out for us.they dont protect us and do not include us their deals and contract they are signing. If its the westerns, they must put the national interest first in any dealings and singnings with other countries. And they protect their citizens even if is only one person that have problem. The media dare not speak about americans like that , and the company media will be written off the book.

Things are not really easy for  african folks here in china 

Things are not really easy for  african folks here in china 

Things are not really easy for Africans.

I'm lucky, the natives usually can tell I'm from the USA by my speech/ behavior patterns.

Sometimes they know even before I start beating up random people and searching them for WMD!   

Lots of Chinese I meet can't believe someone as dark as me comes from the US.   

As for the East/West African issue...whatever happened to Pan-Africanism?   

...by speech thats obvious...behaviour not so sure....how do black americans behave?

As for the East/West African issue...whatever happened to Pan-Africanism?   

Who believes in Pan-Africanism? I totally understand that when it comes to Africans living abroad because everyone sets their differences aside and stick together; but not Africans living in Africa...do you even know the extent of how divided Africa really is? Think Christians Vs. Muslims...and that's just ONE example.

I'm lucky, the natives usually can tell I'm from the USA by my speech/ behavior patterns.

My guess is that if a Black guy looks a bit posh the Chinese will be willing to believe the guy's American (at first glance).   But speech & behaviour...I find that hard to believe.

.....its the chinese who thought east n west africans seemed to be different...as an african i do not know of any difference by sides..the only different blacks r africans n black americans...stolen n sold n not sold period.

You can think whatever you like, some people see a difference and others don't.  Some people are just that observant and others aren't.