Activities around the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos were disrupted on Monday as hundreds of physically challenged individuals staged a protest over the closure of a government-run school for people with disabilities.
The protesters, armed with a banner of the Farmcraft Centre for the Blind, blocked major access roads to the airport, causing significant traffic gridlock and halting movement for passengers and airport staff.
The protest has held the airport operations to ransom, as this may lead to many passengers missing their flights.
Passengers with luggages were seen trekking long distances to catch up with their flights.
According to the protesters, the protest was an attempt to draw President Bola Tinubu’s attention to the plight of disabled students whose education has been stalled for nearly two years.
They added that the protest had drawn over 500 participants, with more reportedly arriving from different parts of Lagos.
Protesters vowed to remain at the airport until they received a concrete response from the government regarding the reopening of their school.
A leader of the protest, who identified himself simply as Mr. Dolor, narrated efforts that had been put in place to secure the reopening of the school before they resorted to the protest.
“You can see the blind and disabled people; they are angry. A lot of Nigerians see them as beggars, but now they have their own school, a school that gave them dignity, and it has been shut down without reason for almost two years,” he said.
Dolor said the school in question is located in the Isheri area of Lagos with branches across the state.
The protesters say they have made repeated appeals to both state and federal authorities through official letters and delegations, but have received no response.
“This is why we are here,” Dolor said.
He added, “We know not every message reaches the President, but this one, with the whole airport affected, will surely get to him.”
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Obiageli Orah, warned passengers and other airport users of heavy traffic, urging commuters to seek alternative routes and confirm their flight schedules with airlines.
The statement reads, “This is a travel advisory for passengers and commuters to/from Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
“Due to an ongoing protest by the Farmcraft Centre for the Blind, traffic congestion is currently impacting access roads to the airport.”
The authority apologised for the inconvenience caused and advised travellers to remain patient and stay informed through official channels.
The Punch
