Nigerian textile dyers accusing Chinese business people of being engaged in unfair trading activities staged a peaceful protest on Tuesday in northwestern Kano one of the continent’s largest textile markets. The unfair trading by Chinese has brought the local textiles industry to its knees.

Chinese activities have compromised the potential of local dyers in the textile industry.

Bashir Dauda Aliyu Dawakin Kudu, chairman of the Local Dyers Association, said that the Chinese activities have comprised the potential of local dyers in the textile industry.

He further said that the Chinese businessmen from whom they have been sourcing chemicals have transformed from chief suppliers of chemicals to fulltime involvement in the dye industry.

Kudu insisted that Chinese business activities had rendered over 32,000 members of the local textile industry jobless. He urged the government – and the emir – to intervene on their behalf.

The protest led to traffic gridlock in the commercial city, with dyers displaying placards reading, “Chinese are exploiters,” “Chinese are killing local entrepreneurs” and “Protect us against Chinese invasion.”

The protest comes one week after four Chinese were detained in Kano for smuggling textile materials worth several billions of naira.

Kano’s powerful emir, Muhammadu Sanusi, for his part, urged protesters to distance themselves from any action that might trigger xenophobic attacks in Nigeria. He said that it is unfortunate that they don’t have enabling laws that protect local entrepreneurs. And where they have them are not being implemented.