The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has closed down the KFC restaurant facility at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on March 28, 2024.
The closure decision came after a passenger with reduced mobility, Adebola Daniel, took to social media alleging discriminatory treatment he faced at the airport KFC. Daniel is the son of former Ogun State governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel.
In his post on X, formerly Twitter, Daniel described how “being disabled often rolls over my spirit, leaving behind a trail of shattered dignity and forgotten humanity. Nowhere more so than in Nigeria.”
He explained that after completing all necessary airport documentation before his Virgin Atlantic flight to London, he decided to spend time at the KFC restaurant with his wife and siblings while waiting for the flight.
However, Daniel claimed the female manager at KFC humiliated him, stating wheelchairs and users were not permitted on the premises. She allegedly demanded that he leave immediately.
In his reaction, FAAN Managing Director Mrs Olubunmi Kuku deployed an investigation team comprising senior officials including the Director of Public Affairs, Regional Manager South West, Acting General Manager Public Affairs, and the International Terminal Manager.
In a statement today, FAAN said “It is based on the findings of the team that FAAN has shut down the KFC facility at the MMA, where the incident occurred.”
The Authority has instructed KFC Management to issue an unreserved public apology to Daniel and conspicuously display a non-discrimination policy at their airport outlet before resuming operations.
“FAAN 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,” the statement added.