Amanze ChinonyeAccess to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, remained blocked on Monday afternoon as visually impaired protesters refused to vacate Airport Road, leaving travellers stranded and uncertain about how to proceed.
Airport users appeared displaced and confused, with security personnel unable to persuade the demonstrators to make way for traffic. The protest, which began earlier in the day, has brought movement between the domestic and international terminals to a standstill.
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Among those caught in the disruption was Barrister Genesis Francis, who was scheduled to connect from Lagos to Kigali via the international wing. “I was supposed to connect my flight from Nigeria to Kigali, connecting from the local wing through the international wing. But I have been trapped,” he told Prime Business Africa. “I had to walk as there is no taxi or any means of transport until I got help from a good Nigerian who intervened to get me to my destination. I’m trying to connect in my mind what the link is between the protest of blind people and travellers like myself – it has been a terrible day out” He said.
Other passengers were seen boarding commercial motorbikes with heavy luggages to avoid missing their flights or reaching their destinations late, despite the Lagos State ban on motorcycles with certain engine capacities on major roads.
The protesters say they are demanding the reopening of Farmcraft, Nigeria’s only federal training centre for the blind, along with better welfare packages for visually impaired persons, financial grants to start and sustain their businesses after completing training, and formal inclusion in President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope programme.
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A member of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Ayuba Ganiyu Adele, who represents the Alimosho Federal Constituency in Lagos under the All Progressives Congress (APC), was at the protest scene earlier in the day. His attempts to mediate between the protesters and authorities also proved unsuccessful, as the demonstrators maintained they would not disperse until their demands were addressed publicly by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs.
The group has vowed not to accept any closed-door meetings, insisting on transparency in negotiations.
As of press time, there was no sign of the minister or any other top government representatives on the ground, despite reports that they were already on a flight to Lagos for talks.
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