Lagos Indian secondary school where Nigerians are denied admission

Gbenga Oloniniran writes about the discrimination experienced by some Nigerians on the premises of foreign businesses where they are met with restrictions despite being in Nigeria

On Sunday, Nigerians expressed outrage over a discriminatory policy implemented by an Abuja-based Chinese supermarket, which restricted entry exclusively to its citizens and barred Nigerians.

Our correspondent, who visited the mall located within the China General Chamber of Commerce in Abuja, reported that entry into the supermarket, without any name inscription, was restricted exclusively to individuals of Chinese descent.

An X user, @DejiAdesogan, had also written, “So there’s a Chinese supermarket in Abuja that Nigerians cannot enter, let alone buy anything, that only Chinese are allowed? So weird to believe.”

Following The PUNCH report, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission sealed the supermarket.

Visiting the premises on Monday, the commission’s officials led by the Director for Surveillance and Investigation, Boladale Adeyinka said the mission of the commission was in response to the viral video when Nigerians were allegedly being discriminated against and denied access to the supermarket.

The owner of the supermarket has also been summoned. This was as workers at the store disclosed that the owner of the supermarket fled the premises.

Adeyinka said, “There are other regulatory tools to be deployed, if she (the owner) fails to attend to this summons. The summons means that on entering into these premises, they must see the summons because that is how they gain access to it.”

But the Abuja supermarket is not the only business barring or discriminating against Nigerians.

Discriminations were also reported in Lagos. While reacting to the post by @DejiAdesogan on Sunday, an X user @decommonroom wrote “The Indian school in Ilupeju only admits Indians. You need an Indian passport for enrollment.”

In a further chat with The PUNCH, he said, “My experience with the Indian international school in Ilupeju dates back to when my school had a debate competition with them in 2009. I discovered there were only Indian students. I was curious as to why because my school was also an international school and run by a foreign embassy with primarily expatriate kids and few Nigerians. Then I was informed their passport was a prerequisite for admission.”

Our correspondent therefore visited the Indian Language School Ilupeju, located in Lagos to investigate the claim.

Our correspondent who visited the school on Monday reports that several Indians and their kids were seen entering and leaving the brown building opposite Rite Price Supermarket, Akinteye Drive in Ilupeju.

Flooded with Indians, many of them live on the street as they were seen buying items freely at several shops, malls and stands operated by Nigerians.

The building’s plots stretch to the back, with Indian school children heard playing and having their school activities in the compound.

Taking a stroll down the bend behind the school plot, our correspondent saw another storey building with the inscription: ‘Indian Language School,’ with some construction workers working at the front. It was not certain whether it was a new building or not.

Returning to the main building and approaching the entrance, it was observed that at the security post, about three guard men were seen, with one on a uniform and another one, likely a septuagenarian, putting on a native attire. They were Nigerian security men from their dress and conversation.

Our correspondent asked to make enquiries for his uncle who had two kids and would like to enroll them in the school.

“But that your uncle is an Indian man?” One of the security men responded. Our correspondent answered in the affirmative to give room for further discussions as reports showed that at similar foreign establishments, Nigerians were barred even from the point of entry. However, this was not different even with the different approach.

The security man in uniform immediately took the details of our correspondent in a form and took the form with him to an office while our correspondent was asked to wait at the security post.

While our correspondent sat, Indian nationals were seen trooping in and out.

Upon returning after about four minutes, the security man said, “They said the person should come – the person that is Indian – should come with his two kids.”

“They said as a Nigerian, they (the management) cannot attend to you. So the person should come, the Indian person,” he added, noting that was the response of an unidentified administrative worker, said to be an Indian.

When our correspondent asked to meet the said receptionist or admin manager, the security man said, “The woman will not attend to you because that’s the message she asked me to pass across to you.”

When our correspondent informed them his Indian uncle had not arrived in Nigeria, they still refused him entry.

Asking why he was refused entry, another man at the security post told our correspondent, “You know if they (the owners) were people of our skin colour (Nigerians) now (things could be different), but these people, they are the ones that know what they saw that made them do things like that.”

Insisting the admin manager would not attend to our correspondent, the first security man added, “They are Indians. The admin is an Indian.”

When asked if our correspondent could come with his Indian uncle when coming to enroll his children, they responded in the affirmative, echoing “No problem.” “That one is sure,” another one said.

When quizzed further if Nigerians were allowed to school there, one of them said it was possible only if the child was born to an Indian national.

A worker in a supermarket opposite the school who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprimand confirmed the school was mainly for Indians when asked by our correspondent. “Yes it is,” she said, nodding her head.

Another resident, Kazeem Ajagbe, who sat at a shop on the street where he earlier gave our correspondent directions, simply shrugged when told it was learnt the school was mainly for Indians.

A keke driver, Tolu Fafunwa, when asked about why Nigerians were not allowed in the school, said, “That’s what I heard too. If you’re a Nigerian, except you’re working there or have an appointment, you cannot enter. So we cannot even know if there is a shady thing going on inside there.”

Based on information available on the school’s website, the institution was established in 1982 as a private school under the umbrella of The High Commission of India. “The school is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi and has classes from BALVATIKA1 to XII.”

Our correspondent sent a text and made calls to the phone number on the school’s website and also sent a message to the an email address, but there was no response.

The spokesperson for the Indian High Commission in Nigeria, Vipul Mesariya, when contacted asked our correspondent to send him an email. He had yet to respond to it as of the time of filing this report. Punch