Opponents of Nigerian Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi’s presidential run are using paid media content to paint him as too close to China. This is the newest attempt to link Amaechi with China, after the Chinese embassy in Abuja hit back at similar rumors last week. The allegations play into long-running but unfounded anxieties about the impact of Chinese debt on the Nigerian economy.
On Friday, the Nigerian newspaper Premium Times published an article under the headline “Nigeria and the danger of Chinese loans,” which alleged that Amaechi is an apologist for predatory lending by China. The article is listed as a “press release,” that is, as paid content. The article has subsequently been republished in several other publications.
