Nigeria is a key destination for numerous Chinese manufacturing firms, with clusters located in the southwestern cities of Lagos, Ogun, and Benin City, in the oil-rich Niger-Delta region. President Muhammadu Buhari with Wang Yi, Chinese foreign minister, in Abuja, Nigeria. Image from Aso Rock [Nigeria Presidential] Villa Facebook page, Jan 5, 2021. However, these Chinese companies too often mistreat, exploit, and abuse their Nigerian staff, who have been subjected to what the Nigerian lawmaker Ndudi Elumelu described as “slavish conditions.” Over the years, allegations of racism, physical abuses, sexual violation, injuries and even death of local workers due to the negligence or explicit approval of Chinese bosses have made front page news. There have been few repercussions for these alleged acts. The Global Voices Civic Media Observatory research on China’s Belt and Road Initiative identified two major categories of infractions by Chinese companies in Nigeria: industrial accidents caused by lack of safety standards, and forced labour. These stories and allegations, shared in Nigerian newspapers and on social media by reporters, witnesses, and others, together build a narrative that paints Chinese factory owners and businesspeople in Nigeria as abusive and indifferent to the health and rights of their employees. While not every allegation has been proven, together they degrade the image of China in Nigeria as a fair employer and benevolent partner. George Ofosu and David Sarpong, scholars from Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Germany and Brunel University London, United Kingdom in their qualitative analysis of existing peer-reviewed ‘Chinese-labour-focused’ literature on Africa assert that “Chinese firms’ labour practices engender abuse via casualisation of labour, low remuneration, and a general lack of adherence to occupational safety.” The silence of Nigeria’s federal government in response to these alleged infractions by Chinese business owners of the country’s labour laws and international labour covenants points to the asymmetrical relationship between the two countries. Onyinye in an ambulance after the fire incident (graphic content, viewer discretion advised). #justiceforonyi#justiceforonyiand4others The media is our voice since we don't have who will fight for us we are using the media to call on our government to come to our aid we can't be losing our colleague's (AFLAN)to the hands of careless Chinese pic.twitter.com/85xDbsKOoD — Maurice Monday (@MauriceMonday) July 20, 2021 Onyinye [Onyi] Onwuegbusi, a translator with Wihu Limited, a Chinese factory located located along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Isheri, Ogun State was burnt to death on July 9, 2021, due to alleged negligence by her Chinese employees. The fire also claimed the lives of three other Nigerian staff. Chinese companies in Nigeria care less of their staff, treat workers like animals and don't take safety precautions in the field of work. Their carelessness led to death of 4 innocent Nigerian citizens who worked to make a living.#justiceforonyi#chinesecompaniesaredeathtraps — David Sweet? (@Davidsw28401109) July 19, 2021 Sola Akinsehinwa, a board member of the Association of Foreign Language Translators of Nigeria (AFLAN) who spoke to Global Voices via WhatsApp and email, asserts that “the ladies sensed the smell of gas” discovered that the Chinese company had installed a gas pipe that passed through the kitchen of the dormitory where the victims were cooking. A fly catcher spark caused the explosion. Large gas cylinder in the Chinese Wihi company in Lagos. Image provided by Sola Akinsehinwa and used with his permission The Wihu Factory had neither fire extinguishers nor an ambulance, according to one Twitter user. Due to an ongoing strike by Nigerian doctors, the victims did not receive prompt medical attention, which eventually led to the death of Onyi and three others. The delegates of the AFLAN, of which Onyi was a member, were threatened and denied access to the management of the Chinese factory. “It was after the incident that they [Wihu Limited] went to buy fire extinguishers, as said by the workers that bought them. They did this, trying to cover up their tracks,” Akinsehinwa told Global Voices. Global Voices reached out to Markus, a manager in Wihu who did not provide his last name by telephone on September 10, 2021 to get the company's side of the story. The manager agreed to respond to questions via WhatsApp but had not done so by the publication date. In a similar case, in February 2018, the government of Lagos State, Nigeria’s economic capital, held the management of a Chinese firm, Hongxing Steel Company Limited responsible for an accident that deformed Chris Abiodiun, a contract worker.