Many prominent Nigerians and other air passengers missed their flights out of Lagos on Monday morning as a multitude of blinds citizens blocked access roads to domestic wings of Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos.
The physically challenged people numbering about 500, came from different part Lagos State to protest what they described as government insensitive to their education and general welfare.
The action of the protesters led to traffic gridlock which caused airport users, workers and air passengers to suffer untold hardship.
Some of the passengers including a top Yoruba monarch had to trek for almost two kilometres before he could gain access to Murtala Muhammed Airport Domestic Terminal Two (MMA2), to catch his fight. While many others who were not so lucky got held up in resultant traffic gridlock that stretched from the Lagos Airport to Cement Bus Stop on Lagos – Abeokuta Expressway, Maryland Area along Mobolaji Bank Anthony Road, and Seven and Eight Bus stop along Oshodi -Airport Road, missed their flights.
Speaking on their grievances, one of their leaders who identified himself as Mr. Odolor, accused government at levels of insensitivity to the plights of physically challenged people, especially the blinds, in Nigeria.
He alleged that in 2023, Lagos State government shutdown a school built for them in Ikorudu without offering them any alternative.
“Government said we were constuting nuisances on the streets by begging for alms. A school was built for us in Ikorodu where we were schooling and learning different trades that will make us self reliant. But suddenly, the school was closed down in 2023 and we are back to the streets again without any alternative!,” Odolor lamented.
He added that when they left the school premises to the road to find alternative means of survival through begging for alms on the streets, officials of the state government came after them arresting their members and dumping them at correctional centres
“We are back on the streets to find our means of livelihood through begging for alms, again, overnment officials are after us. They arrested our members and dumped them at correctional centres without trials. We had appealed to government through different media without any positive result. That is why we are staging this protest.
Odolor said the group of physically challenged Nigerians came together and mobilise themselves to stage the protest in the airport where they will be seen by everyone who matters in Nigeria so that their demands will get the deserved attention.
He therefore called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to please attend to their issues with almost attention.
” We are here to register our demands for a better welfare for the blind people in Nigeria. The people that matter in Nigeria pass through here everyday. They will see us here.
“We have written series of letters to government for assistance. We want to be useful members of the society. Let government help us. We appeal to our father and the father of the whole nation, President Bola Tinubu to please listen to our cries and help blind people in Nigeria,” Odolor appealed on behalf of his members.
