By: Joseph G. Bangali, Senior Reporter
The Tejan Kabba led administration in 2004 leased the then defunct National Workshop premises in Cline town to Guoji Investment Company with the understanding that it will be turned into a viable Industrial Park that will improve the skills of Sierra Leoneans and increase employment opportunities. This has not been the case. Guoji has now metamorphosed itself into a property owner over these premises with 14 tenants, all of which are companies operating different businesses and paying huge rents to their Chinese proprietor.
One of these tenants known as Lucky Star imports and supplies hair products to various vendors across the country. Lucky Star has been under scrutiny recently both by civil society organizations and the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) after being accused by their competition of bringing into the country fake and substandard versions of the popular and in demand brand ‘Expression Hair’. In an interview conducted by this medium with the General Manager of Guoji Investment company and the owner of Lucky Star, Mr. Soan, it emerged that he was approached by a certain businessman of Nigerian origin and asked to import this brand of hair from China as it was cheaper. This he agreed to and proceeded with the order of a 40ft container of said hair. However, he claimed to have been disappointed that the businessperson whose name and contact number he could not provide, was unable to pay for all the goods. As he was unsure of their predicament having received notices of eviction from the government of Sierra Leone, he therefore decided to sell directly to the public. This in his view upset the client who felt aggrieved because of this. The premises of Lucky Star were raided in November 2020 by a team from the CPA led by a lady only known as Haja who made away with 14 cartons of the ‘ Expression’ hair as evidence for their investigations. Following this raid, an attempt to negotiate a financial settlement in the form of compensation between the Chinese National and the Nigerian. However, he said no agreement was reached as the Nigerian rejected the offer made and demanded for a higher amount. The amount offered was $3000.00 and Le30 Million. He also informed that it was after he had ordered the 40ft container of expression into the country that the businessperson registered his company as the sole agent for this product.
Our investigations led us to Rumez Commercial Enterprises located at 2 Lumley Street where we met Remigius Okafor the MD/CEO, a naturalized Sierra Leonean of Nigerian origin who has lived in this country for 34years. According to Okafor, he has never met the owner of Lucky Star, neither has he done any business with him before. He became aware that the Expression Hair of which he was the sole agent in Sierra Leone for the manufacturing company based in Nigeria, was being sold by the Chinese at a cheaper rate and that the products were below standard and an imitation of the original brand which he sold. This according to him was unacceptable and he felt a great injustice has been perpetrated against the women of this country who spend their hard-earned monies to patronize these goods. This prompted him to hire a lawyer who informed the consumer protection agency who responded by conducting a raid on the premises of Lucky Star and confiscated 14 cartons of these counterfeit products. He categorically denied ever making any claims against the Chinese owner for compensation but demanded that his legal fees which amounted to $10,000.00 and Le15,000,000.00 be refunded. He further asked that the owner of Lucky Star must do an undertaking that he will never import counterfeit Expression hair into the country again and should recall all the products distributed and supplied so far. They were on the verge of concluding this agreement when he received a call from one Mr. Rogers who identified himself as a partner in the Lucky Star Company. Based on the audio which I listened to Mr. Rogers sounded very condescending repeatedly referring to Okafor as a Nigerian criminal attempting to defraud and intimidate a Chinese national in Sierra Leone. It became clear that Mr. Rogers is a hired gun using intimidating tactics to defend the fraudulent activities of the Chinese in Sierra Leone. I was able to contact Mr. Rogers on his Orange cellphone number who promised to visit our offices on Friday morning but did not show up. When contacted he claimed to be out of town but called me a few hours later to complain that the Chinese were picked up by the Police on Friday morning led by a civil society activist Sao Lamin. Mr. Rogers kept insisting that the matter should be taken to court by Okafor if he feels aggrieved.
We intend to follow up and update members of the public until this matter is brought to a logical conclusion.