Fact-Check: No, Chinese Government Did Not Warn its Citizens to Avoid Investing In Real Estate in Lagos
BY: Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim:
Aniji MIT, an X user claimed on his page that the Chinese Government has warned its citizens to avoid investing in Real Estate in Lagos due to increased demolition of homes belonging to non-indigenous tribes.
Full Text:
Aniji MIT, an X user claimed on his page that the Chinese Government has warned its 1.5 billion citizens to avoid investing in Real Estate in Lagos due to increased demolition of homes belonging to non-indigenous tribes.
Screenshot of the claim
The post followed the recent demolition of “illegal buildings” by the Lagos State Government at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo Local Government Area.
Oluyinka Olumide, the state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, explained that the exercise was a response to the prevailing state of the complex, citing lack of compliance to the laws of the state government.
The demolition sparked widespread outrage, particularly among members of the opposition from the Igbo community, who alleged that the action targeted their ethnic group and investments in the state.
Former presidential candidate Peter Obi who led some Igbo senators and opposition members to the demolished site urged the government to temper enforcement with compassion, noting that being legally correct is not a substitute for being morally right.
Similarly, Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central, described the demolitions as unlawful.
In response to Obi’s remarks, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said he resorted to emotional theatrics. Omotoso defended the demolition as constitutional, stating that affected traders were given ample time to regularize their documents under a general amnesty announced last year, which was extended several times.
The post has since gained over 700 reposts, over 2000 reposts and 106 quotes. It can also be found here, here, here and here
Verdict: False!
Verification:
FactCheckAfrica did a search to ascertain the veracity of the claim, our search led us to a Facebook post reinforcing the claim in detail. The post was made 5 days ago by I News (Igbo Times Magazine), a pro Igbo Facebook page.
Screenshot of the Facebook post
The post stated in part that the Chinese Government said it is watching events in Lagos closely, pointing to how shops and businesses of some Nigerians, whom the government insists are not “indigenes” have been forcefully pulled down.
Similarly, we did a reverse image search of the image attached to the post, we found out that the image is from a press conference held by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China. According to Focus Taiwan, the conference announced new guidelines for punishing “Taiwan independence” separatists, which include the possibility of the death penalty for those considered to be “diehard” advocates.
We also checked the link to the full story statement and we were redirected to another site. Furthermore, an in-depth search on Google and other credible platforms (both Nigeria and China) showed no reports of the claim from reputable news outlets.
Screenshot of the redirected site
Conclusion:
Based on our findings, it can be concluded that no credible news outlets reported the claim. Therefore it is false.
