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President of ASHE Foundation and National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Prince Justice Faloye, has described the recent disagreement between some Igbo businessmen and Chinese operators in Lagos as a manifestation of deeper economic and historical tensions.
Faloye, in a statement on the controversy over alleged Chinese dominance in some business sectors, particularly the electronics trade, argued that the development should not be reduced to rivalry between the Yoruba and Igbo communities.
He said the growing presence of Chinese businesses in Nigeria reflected broader changes in global trade and manufacturing, rather than an attempt by one Nigerian ethnic group to displace another.
According to him, it would be unreasonable to suggest that Yoruba people invited Chinese manufacturers into Lagos to undermine Igbo businessmen, particularly given China’s established position as a major global manufacturing centre.
“The current online colonially induced ethno-centered rivalry between the Yoruba and Igbo is a disheartening manifestation of a psycho-culturally damaged original African civilisation, balkanised into tribes,” he said.
Faloye argued that the conflict had been amplified by colonial-era political and social structures which, according to him, transformed historically connected African communities into competing ethnic identities.
He said the disagreement should instead prompt Nigerians to examine how indigenous industries could be strengthened to compete with foreign manufacturers and distributors.
The Afenifere spokesman further maintained that the growing Chinese presence in the Nigerian market could eventually force local entrepreneurs to move beyond trading and middleman activities towards manufacturing.
He said Chinese companies could continue to access Nigerian consumers even if their physical presence in certain markets was restricted, through online platforms and delivery networks.
Faloye therefore urged Igbo entrepreneurs and other Nigerian business communities to invest more heavily in local production, technology and industrial capacity.
“The only way Igbos can compete is to go back to their civilisational role to produce Original African industrial goods at a lower cost and better quality,” he said.
He also called on the Federal Government and other tiers of government to support local manufacturers through procurement policies that favour Nigerian-made products.
According to him, government institutions should be encouraged to purchase locally manufactured vehicles, electronics and other products where such alternatives are available.
Faloye traced what he described as the disruption of indigenous African economic systems to the transatlantic slave trade and subsequent colonial rule.
He claimed that European intervention in the Lower Niger region disrupted existing political and economic structures and contributed to the displacement and fragmentation of communities.
He also argued that the slave trade affected the Nri civilisation and contributed to population movements across parts of present-day Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia states.
Faloye said indigenous communities nevertheless retained aspects of their industrial knowledge, particularly in iron production.
He referred to the archaeological site at Lejja in Nsukka, Enugu State, which he described as evidence of an ancient iron-working tradition in the region.
According to him, indigenous African societies possessed manufacturing and technological capabilities long before the emergence of modern colonial economic structures.
He argued that colonialism subsequently weakened these systems by reorganising indigenous populations into separate administrative and ethnic units.
“Colonisation balkanised the Original African civilisation by turning the continuum of dialects into rival tribes,” he said.
Faloye further contended that the division contributed to ethnic competition in politics, the civil service and commerce.
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He said the resulting system encouraged what he described as “prebendal” politics, in which political and economic opportunities were distributed through networks of patronage.
He warned that such divisions were being reproduced on social media, where debates about business competition increasingly take on ethnic dimensions.
The ASHE Foundation president also challenged the historical perception of the Igbo as primarily traders, arguing that the community had a much longer history of industrial activity.
He linked the development of Igbo commercial networks to historical industrial practices, particularly ironworking, and argued that the community could build on that tradition by investing in modern manufacturing.
Faloye also discussed the historical relationship between Yoruba and Igbo communities, arguing that both had undergone significant cultural changes as a result of colonialism and foreign religious and political influences.
He said the two groups should avoid allowing contemporary political and commercial disagreements to deepen ethnic divisions.
The Afenifere spokesman also criticised what he described as the tendency of political elites to mobilise ordinary Nigerians along ethnic lines while maintaining political alliances across ethnic boundaries.
He referenced political figures including Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and President Bola Tinubu, arguing that political elites often cooperate across ethnic lines even as their supporters engage in ethnic disputes.
Faloye said ordinary Nigerians should therefore be cautious about being drawn into conflicts that primarily serve political or economic interests.
“Instead of ethnic rivalry in politics and economics, the two largest indigenous African groups should unite against neoliberalism, and fight for social democracy,” he said.
On the Chinese business presence, he described the development as an “unstoppable trend,” arguing that advances in digital commerce would make it increasingly difficult to prevent foreign manufacturers from reaching Nigerian consumers directly.
He maintained that Nigerian businesses would need to compete through innovation, quality, affordability and local production rather than relying solely on their positions as intermediaries for imported goods.
Faloye also argued that Nigeria’s large consumer market, natural resources and relatively low labour costs could provide a basis for developing a strong manufacturing sector.
He said the country could position itself as a major manufacturing hub if appropriate policies, infrastructure and investment were put in place.
However, he stressed that achieving such a transformation would require Nigerians to move beyond ethnic arguments and focus on economic development.
He urged the Federal Government to develop policies that would encourage local manufacturing, protect viable domestic industries and create an environment where Nigerian businesses can compete with foreign companies.
Faloye said the current controversy should therefore be viewed as an opportunity to rethink Nigeria’s economic structure rather than as a conflict between ethnic groups.
He maintained that stronger cooperation between communities, coupled with investments in indigenous production, could help reduce dependence on imported goods and create jobs.
He concluded by calling for what he described as a process of “decoloniality,” involving a reassessment of inherited social, economic and political structures.
According to him, Nigerians must overcome ethnic divisions and focus on building productive institutions capable of supporting indigenous industries.
He said the Yoruba and Igbo, rather than being drawn into online rivalry over business and politics, should seek greater cooperation in addressing economic challenges affecting the country.
Faloye maintained that the future of Nigerian enterprise would depend not only on who controls existing markets, but also on the ability of local entrepreneurs to develop competitive products, expand manufacturing capacity and participate more directly in the global economy.
