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The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has shut down a KFC outlet at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
This move came less than a day after the airport branch of the fast-food restaurant allegedly humiliated a wheelchair user, Adebola Daniel, the son of former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel.
Sharing his experience, on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, Daniel said he was "made to feel “less than human" because of his disability.
He said while passing the time alongside his wife and siblings, at the restaurant ahead of his flight, a manager of the restaurant told him to leave the premises because "No wheelchairs allowed."
“To be disabled in Nigeria is to be undesirable, unwelcome and unaccepted. As I’ve said before, it’s a lonely, scary and isolated place. Never has this been more true than it has ever been today where I faced the worst sort of public humiliation that I have ever experienced. To think that this happened at an international brand, KFC at an international airport – Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos – is unthinkable,” he said.
Reacting, the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, posted a statement via his official X handle on Thursday, March 28, 2024, announcing that the restaurant has been shut down.
According to the statement signed by Obiageli Orah, the law clearly states, "A 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 person."
To confirm the allegations, FAAN's MD/CE, Olubunmi Kuku assembled a team to investigate the ex-governor's son's claims.
The team included other officials of the agency such as the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Obiageli Orah, and the Regional Manager South West, Sunday Ayodele, among others.
Following the investigation, FAAN said the allegations were confirmed to be true and the agency proceeded to close the KFC facility.
As part of the corrective measures, KFC management has been instructed to issue a written apology to the affected individual and to publicly display a policy statement of non-discrimination at their facility.
This statement must be visibly placed at the entrance of the KFC outlet at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport before the establishment is allowed to resume operations.
This content was created with the help of an AI model and verified by the writer.