The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has shut down a branch of a popular food outlet, KFC, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.
FAAN stated this on Thursday in a statement signed by its Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs Obiageli Orah.
The statement titled, โFAAN shuts down KFC outlet at MMIA,โ noted that the food outlet violated the Lagos State law on People with Special Needs, Part C, Section 55 of General Provisions on Discrimination.
The statement added that the directive followed a social media report by a passenger with reduced mobility, who alleged discriminatory treatment he received at the airport.
It reads: โIn line with Lagos State law on People with Special Needs, Part C, section 55 of General Provisions on Discrimination which states that โA person shall not deprive another person of access to any place, vehicle or facility that members of the public are entitled to enter or use on the basis of the disability of that personโ, the management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has closed the KFC facility at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos with effect from March 28, 2024.
โThis is as a result of a social media report by a Passenger with Reduced Mobility (PRM), alleging discriminatory treatment he received at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
โThe MD/CE of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi, Kuku intervened swiftly by deploying a management team comprising the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs Obiageli Orah; the Regional Manager South West, Mr. Sunday Ayodele; Ag. General Manager Public Affairs, Mrs Ijeoma Nwosu-Igbo and the International Terminal Manager, Mr. Kerri, to investigate the allegation.โ
FAAN said, โIt is based on the findings of the team that FAAN has shut down the KFC facility at the MMA, where the incident occurred.
โThe authority has instructed that the KFC Management should tender an unreserved apology, in writing, to the affected PRM and a policy statement of non-discrimination be written and pasted conspicuously at the door post of their facility at MMIA before it resumes operation.
โFAAN uses this medium to express our unreserved apology to the affected Passenger with Reduced Mobility and assures all airport users that we shall continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the rights of every passenger are not infringed upon.โ
The victim of the maltreatment, Adebola Daniel, son of former Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel, recounted his experience at the KFC outlet of the airport in a series of tweets posted on Wednesday via his X handle, @DebolaDaniel.
Daniel, a wheelchair user, described his ordeal as โthe worst sort of public humiliationโ he ever had.
The Ogun State-born noted that it all started during his planned trip to London from Lagos via a Virgin Atlantic airline.
He stated that in years past, while he was quite familiar with security and immigration processes, being a frequent traveller, he would visit the Oasis lounge of the airport to wait for his flight.
However, because โthe lift to the lounge has been out of service,โ for the past three years, he decided to find โsolaceโ at the KFC outlet in the airport, alongside his wife and his three brothers, whom they were travelling together.
โToday I chose KFC โ what a colossal mistake,โ he bemoaned.
His tweets partly reads, โBeing disabled often rolls over my spirit, leaving behind a trail of shattered dignity and forgotten humanity. Nowhere more so than in Nigeria.
โI have never been the type of person to make a fuss or complain about my disability. My approach has always been โlaissez-faire.โ Ultimately, it is what it is. It is a part of my identity and like everyone else, I have my days of self-doubt and confusion as to how/if I fit in society.
โTo be disabled in Nigeria is to be undesirable, unwelcome and unaccepted. As Iโve said before, itโs a lonely, scary and isolated place.
โNever has this been more true than it has ever been today when I faced the worst sort of public humiliation that I have ever experienced. To think that this happened at an international brand @kfc @kfcnigeria at an international airport โ Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos โ is unthinkable.โ
Daniel stated that he โarrived at the airport as normal for my Virgin Atlantic flight to London. Iโm a frequent flyer and Iโm extremely familiar with all due processes at Murtala Muhammed Airport. Years ago, after all security and immigration formalities had been completed, I would normally go to the Oasis lounge to wait for my flight.
โFor the past three years, the lift to the lounge has been out of service so Iโve often found solace in other establishments, sometimes lounges, sometimes restaurants such as @kfc @kfcnigeria.โ
Daniel stated that as they were about to sit, a lady who is โapparently the managerโ called out loudly, โNo wheelchairs allowed.โ
He added that upon hearing what she said, one of his brothers, Taiwo, asked what the lady meant, but โshe refused to listen to reason and stood her ground that at @kfc @kfcnigeria Murtala Muhammed branch, wheelchairs and wheelchair users of all shapes and sizes were not permitted in the premises and we should leave immediately.
โMy siblings and wife became instantly irate and proceeded to debate her position with her, ultimately cumulating in raised voices and strong verbal protests. If thereโs one thing I hate more than anything in this life is to create a scene. I detest it. I do not like to draw attention to myself and as such I began pleading with my people that we should just leave.
โMy wife took some video footage and my brothers took some pictures. There were at least five other witnesses at the scene, who tried to intervene as things unfolded. Eventually, our party departed to another lounge upset and quite frankly pissed off.โ
Daniel stated that he wouldnโt let such an incident slide, adding that as another of his brothers alongside his wife met the lady at another time, she stressed โthat the business does not allow wheelchairs into their premises,โ while they took an audio record of her statement.
He recalled the lady saying that โshe recently just transferred to that branch, it is something that has been drummed into them.
โIt harkens back to dark periods in recent historyโฆ No wheelchairs allowedโฆ No coloureds allowedโฆ. No blacks allowedโฆ,โ saying, โToday, I felt less than human, like a guard dog not allowed into the house. Lonely and isolated.โ
Daniel noted that he would โcontinue to escalate the matter โuntil I get a reasonable resolution and thereโs no stopping me. You cannot treat people this way.
โThere are approximately 27 million Nigerians living with some form of disability. Thatโs over 13% of the country. One in six people on the planet are disabled. You must not treat people this way.
โSo my question to @kfc @kfcnigeria is simple. Does this represent your approach to disabled customers or will you be looking into this? Am I not human enough for KFC?โ
He added an audio record of the conversation between his wife and the lady.
โAudio clip from my wife. Iโm trying to get all the evidence up on here,โ he wrote.
In response to the allegation before the outletโs shutdown by the FAAN, KFC tweeted via its official X handle on Thursday morning, stating, โKFC is unwavering in our stance against bias or discrimination in any form, with inclusivity and respect as non-negotiable pillars of our values.
โHowever, this recent incident has underscored the pressing need for immediate action. We have embarked on efforts to address the situation and extend apologies and deeply regret the frustration and distress experienced by our guest.โ
The food outlet added that itโs โurgently implementing sensitivity training for all our employees. This incident is not reflective of our standards, and we will act swiftly to rectify it.
โWe are actively exploring solutions to equip our team members and establishments better to ensure that every guest feels genuinely welcomed and that we deliver empathetic customer service that proactively addresses the diverse needs of each guest.โ
On Thursday, the General Manager, Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, Mrs Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, stated in a statement that the attention of her office โhas been drawn to a viral story about the discrimination against Mr. Debola Daniel, a person with a disability in a wheelchair. This incident happened on 27th of March 2024, at a KFC restaurant located at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.โ
The LASODA GM noted that โit frowns upon any form of discrimination, particularly against persons with disabilities. Every individual, regardless of their disability, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
โThe agency is committed to ensuring that the rights of persons with disabilities are protected and upheld in Lagos State. Discriminatory actions, such as those alleged in this incident, are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
โLASODA, therefore, encouraged anyone who has experienced discrimination based on their disability to report such incidents to [email protected] We are committed to working towards a society that is inclusive and accessible to all.โ