Gboyega Akinsanmi
The Lagos State Government has denied claims in the conventional and social media that a racist Chinese restaurant called Shi Shi is operating n Lagos.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, debunked the allegations in a statement yesterday, claiming that the state government had investigated and could not establish the veracity of the allegation.
Ayorinde said following the social media posts on Monday about the allegation that a certain Chinese restaurant in Ikeja “is engaged in racial discrimination against potential Nigerian customers, our officers were sent to investigate the veracity of the claim.”
He explained that the two officers who went there on Monday did so incognito and found the allegations to be false in its entirety.
According to him, the officers were served without any questions or discrimination. They also took photographs without being noticed.
He said the officers “also observed that the restaurant had a number of Nigerians working inside there and did similarly observe that pepper soup, a Nigerian delicacy is also on the menu.
“More, importantly, the restaurant has been registered with the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture since 2016 as required by law.
“As the regulators of eateries, restaurants, hotels, and other hospitality facilities in Lagos State, the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Tourism will further investigate this claim, beyond what our findings on Monday revealed and will be vigilant about the activities of this restaurant and its subsidiary.”
