Travellers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) were stranded for hours yesterday after visually impaired protesters shut down access roads, demanding the reopening of their training school — the Farmcraft Centre for the Blind — closed since June 7, 2024.
By 10:45 am, protesters carrying banners and placards blocked major roads to both domestic and international terminals, forcing some passengers to pay up to ₦5,000 for okada rides from the tollgate just to catch flights.
Key Points:
• Protest led by Kelly Egbere (aka Kelly Blind)
• Demand: Immediate reopening of the school and welfare support
• School closure has left many students resorting to street begging
• Gridlock stretched to Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Agege Motor Road, and Ikeja
• Flights delayed, passengers trekking to terminals
“This school gave us dignity. Without it, Nigerians see us as beggars,” said one protester, Dolor, who urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Ltd apologised for the disruption, urging travellers to confirm flight schedules and seek alternative routes.
By 4 pm, protest leaders met with Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Yusuf Sununu, who flew in from Abuja. He assured them the school would be reopened after structural upgrades funded in the 2025 Appropriation Act.
“It’s better to suspend operations than risk lives. Once upgraded, students will return to a better learning environment,” Sununu said.
After the meeting, Egbere told reporters they were satisfied with the assurances and would suspend protests — but warned they expect action, not just promises.
For passengers, however, the chaos lingered late into the evening, with traffic bottlenecks still choking Ikeja and adjoining roads long after the placards came down.