By Sakariyah, Ridwanullah
The story of the Chinese in Nigeria is a tale of movement, exchange, suspicion, and influence. Some Nigerians have always associated the word “China” with cheap phones, electronics, and construction giants building bridges and railways. But beyond that, the Chinese presence in Nigeria has deeper roots than the smartphones in our pockets. In fact, the Chinese have gained a stronger ground in Nigeria than what anyone could ever imagine. It is a history of migration that stretches back decades, shaped by politics, trade, and the search for opportunity.
This article will explore the historical background, population, business and cultural influence of the so-called Chinese people in Nigeria
A look into historical sources reveals a more layered picture of early Chinese migration to Nigeria. Some records reveal that the presence of Chinese people in Nigeria began decades before the well-documented post-independence era.
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According to a report titled “colonial census records”, in early 1930, there were a small number of Chinese Hakka people living in Nigeria. The History of Chinese Presence in Nigeria (1950s–2010s): Factories, Commodities, and Entrepreneurs By Shaonan Liu reveals that by the 1950s, Hong Kong investors had begun establishing factories in Lagos and other parts of the country.
However, the real wave came much later, especially after Nigeria and China formally established diplomatic relations in 1971. The 1970s oil boom drew foreign attention to Nigeria, and the Chinese, like the Lebanese and Indians before them, saw opportunities for exploration. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Nigeria returned to democracy and China was expanding immensely across Africa, their footprint began to grow steadily.
Today, estimates of the Chinese population in Nigeria vary widely, with official immigration data potentially differing from observations. An academic report by Yoon Jung Partk suggested that the population had reached about 100,000 as of 2007. In 2014, the Chinese Consul-General in Lagos was quoted stating over 65,000 Chinese nationals lived in Nigeria. By 2017 China’s ambassador, Zhou Pingjian, told officials that numbers had fallen and the embassy’s working estimate was roughly 40,000, noting that many Chinese had returned home.
Many of them are clustered in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt, cities where trade, construction, and politics intersect. Demographically, the Chinese in Nigeria demonstrate a large homogeneous group, among which are construction engineers, entrepreneurs, students, and small traders. Some are short-term expatriates who rotate in and out with big companies, while others have lived in Nigeria for decades, raised children here, and become part of the fabric of Nigerian life.
Going forward, when Nigerians talk about the Chinese, the conversation almost always drifts toward business and the economy. It is not a gainsaying to say that China has become Nigeria’s largest trading partner. Figures from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that imports from China stood at about ₦2.9 trillion in 2022 alone. This makes up more than 25% of Nigeria’s total imports. Chinese goods, such as textiles, spare parts, household items, phones and other electronic devices, now dominate Nigerian markets. If you walk into any major market in Nigeria today, say, Alaba in Lagos, Ariaria in Aba, Wuse in Abuja, you will find shelves lined with products that trace their roots back to factories in Guangzhou, Taiwan, or Shenzhen.
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More importantly, Chinese state-owned companies have taken front row seats in Nigeria’s infrastructure drive. The Abuja-Kaduna rail line, the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge, the Abuja light rail, not excluding some buildings in Nigerian universities, such as Babajide Sanwo-Olu Senate building and the new library at Lagos State University, Ojo main campus, and a cocktail of road projects bear the stamp of Chinese contractors like China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC). With these projects have come thousands of Chinese engineers, technicians, and managers, who are changing the physical and economic landscape of Nigeria. For some Nigerians, this presence is welcome, a sign of development and investment. For others, it raises concerns about debt, dependence, and job displacement. What a pity!
What is more, the Chinese cultural influence on Nigeria is also evident. Chinese restaurants dot Abuja and Lagos, serving dim sum, hotpot, and Peking duck to adventurous Nigerians. Chinese cultural centres, such as the Confucius Institutes at the University of Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Dash language School in Surulere, and an assemblage of others offer classes in Mandarin and host cultural exchange programmes. Nigerian students are increasingly winning scholarships to study in China, returning with new language skills, habits, and sometimes business connections. In addition, Nollywood has also flirted with Chinese collaborations, producing films that mix African storytelling with martial arts themes.
At the same time, Nigerians have absorbed this influence. In fact, they have also remixed it. For example, Chinese motorcycles have become the backbone of okada transport, but they are adapted, repainted, and renamed in local slang. Chinese phones, which once was mocked as “Chinko phones,” are now celebrated for their affordability, with brands like Tecno, Infinix, and others, all of which were designed in China but tailored for African markets — becoming dominant. What starts in Shenzhen rarely stays Chinese for long once it lands in Nigeria.
In spite of all these, there are a number of unignorable challenges that come with the presence of Chinese presence in Nigeria. Labour unions frequently complain about working conditions in Chinese-run factories. Traders in Onitsha and Kano have reportedly accused Chinese competitors of undercutting them. Policymakers worry about the ballooning trade deficit. And in public discourse, the Chinese presence is sometimes framed as both a blessing and a threat, mirrors of the larger global debate about China’s rise in Africa.
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In today’s Nigeria, it is impossible to deny that the Chinese are now part of Nigeria’s story. They literally have become our neighbours, employers, classmates, and sometimes even in-laws. They contribute to Nigeria’s economy, influence its skylines, and nudge its culture in unexpected ways. The history, demographics, economy, and culture tied to their presence all point to one fact: the Chinese in Nigeria are stakeholders in the country’s unfolding journey. to their presence all point to one fact: the Chinese in Nigeria are stakeholders in the country’s unfolding journey.
