A coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the Nigerian Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN), Tuesday, canceled its picketing order on all Chinese businesses in Nigeria over the alleged injustice meted out against a Nigerian Businessman, Mr. Kingsley Okpala for denying him a visa.
The coalition, which consists of over 500 CSOs had on December 28, 2023, at a press conference in Abuja, given the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria a 48-hour ultimatum to address the alleged injustice, vowed to picket its embassy and its nationals businesses across the country if it fails to address the issue.
But addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the NCSCN’s Executive Director, Ambassador Blessing Akinlosotu, said the coalition had also suspended the 48-hour ultimatum given to the embassy, saying that the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria had reached the embattled Okpala with a promise to address all the identified issues in two weeks.
He said: “The matter we brought before the embassy is an injustice against one of us a Nigerian, who has been doing business with China for the past 20 years and who was unjustly denied a visa.
” Unfortunately, that matter got to us and we swung into action by getting across to the embassy and after we got here with all the drama that happened, they eventually acknowledged our letter.
“To our greatest surprise and commendation, the embassy reached out to the young man in less than six hours and when they called him to come the following morning, he called us and the embassy also contacted us in less than 12 hours to inform us that they have met with the young man in question.
“They said they have tabled the matter and they are trying to see how best possible they will lay the entire issue to rest in less than two weeks. Based on that approach, we need to also come back to let the world know what the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria and the rest of the team have done, is a kind of responsive leadership; we are very appreciative of it and we are also here to commend them for the proactive action.
“You can recall in our last press conference, we gave an ultimatum of 48 hours, which we said would start today but as we are here now, we are all smiling and it has shown that the embassy is working hard to make sure that all the issues we have brought to them have been resolved and we are very appreciative of this.
“We are also here to appreciate the ambassador and to let the world know that we have stood down every action pending when the matter will be resolved in the next two weeks. And also the issue of picketing all the Chinese business in Nigeria has been canceled because the response of the embassy, has shown that they are ready for an amicable resolution of this matter”
