The Chinese Government Must Respect Nigerians – Femi Gbajabiamila

The Speaker of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila has come out to frown at the inhuman treatment some Nigerians are being subjected to by the Chinese authorities in Beijing.

The Speaker of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila expressed revealed his displeasure at a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian on Friday in Abuja.

According to him, the bad treatment must be addressed as soon as possible because, via a recent clip, Nigerian citizens were seen complaining about being forced out of their houses and hotels, rounded up, with their passports seized by the Chinese police.

He added that with the diplomatic relationships between both nations, mutual benefits must be derived and Nigerian citizens must be respected.

His words, “If the diplomatic relationships between our two countries are for the mutual benefits of our citizens, then there must be respect for our citizens, and we should not compromise it.

“As a government, we will not allow Chinese or other nationals to be maltreated just as we will not allow Nigerians to be maltreated in other countries.

“The way you treat your citizens, we expect that’s how you’ll treat others; will not tolerate our citizens breaking your laws, but the crime of one citizen cannot be used to stigmatise the whole country.

“It appears that is what happened in this case; you cannot use one brush to smear the whole wall. Whatever the reason, it cannot be used and taken out on the entire community in China.”

What do you think?

Femi Gbajabiamila (born June 25, 1962, surname also spelled Gbaja-Biamila and Gbajabiamila) is a Nigerian lawyer, All Progressives Congress Leader, and House Leader of Nigeria’s 8th House of Representatives.

Gbaja Biamila attended Igbobi College in Yaba, Lagos, King William’s College on the Isle of Man, United Kingdom, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, United States, and the University of Lagos in Lagos.

Gbajabiamila was the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives in the 7th National Assembly. He was head of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating claims by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) that 140.9 Billion Naira (about $1Bn), which was owed by ‘Zenon Petroleum & Gas Limited’ and ‘Forte Oil Plc’, has been paid. The call for investigation of the reported payment was made by another lawmaker, Bimbo Daramola who moved the motion that the House set up a panel to verify the claims by AMCON that the Femi Otedola-owned two companies have paid back the money which the government of Nigeria paid for petroleum products reportedly not delivered as agreed upon by the dictates of the government’s fuel subsidy scheme.

He was elected speaker in 9th National Assemly, House of Representative, with 283 vote, while his stronger opponent Mohammed Umar Bago, came Second with 78 votes.