Citizen Daniel’s discrimination incident

FOR obvious reasons, the statement by Mr. Adebola Daniel, a person with reduced mobility (PRM) and son of the senator representing Ogun East in the National Assembly and a former governor of Ogun State,  Chief Gbenga Daniel, has struck a deep chord across the land. Mr. Daniel, a wheelchair user, said: “To be disabled in Nigeria is to be undesirable, unwelcome and unaccepted.” He was reacting to the inhumane treatment he allegedly got at a Lagos branch of the popular food restaurant, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), on Wednesday, March 27. According to him, because of his disability, he was made to feel “less than human, like a guard dog not allowed into the house”. His story: “Years ago, after all security and immigration formalities have been completed, I would normally go to the OASIS lounge to wait for my flight. For the past three years, the lift to the lounge has been out of service so I’ve often found solace in other establishments, sometimes lounges, sometimes restaurants such as KFC. Today I chose KFC – what a colossal mistake. I entered the restaurant with four travel companions consisting of my brothers and wife. The security personnel at KFC, Samuel, greeted me by name as I’ve been there multiple times. Just as we were about to sit, the lady at the till – who was apparently the manager – called out loudly, ‘No wheelchairs allowed.’

“Our group paused in confusion, before my brother, Taiwo, asked what she meant. She refused to listen to reason and stood her ground that at the KFC, Murtala Muhammed branch, wheelchairs and wheelchair users of all shapes and sizes were not permitted on the premises and we should leave immediately.“ My siblings and wife became instantly irate and proceeded to debate her position with her, ultimately cumulating in raised voices and strong verbal protests. If there’s one thing I hate more than anything in this life is to create a scene…My wife took some video footage and my brothers took some pictures. There were at least five other witnesses at the scene, who tried to intervene as things unfolded. Eventually, our party departed to another lounge, upset and quite frankly pissed off. Normally,  I would let these things slide but not today. When calmer heads prevailed, my wife and brother – Mayowa – went back and under the guise of buying some food and while audio-recording, she questioned the lady again and the lady reiterated her position that the business does not allow wheelchairs into its premises.”

Naturally, the incident sparked widespread outrage and the government intervened swiftly. The management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)  shut down KFC facility at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. In a statement, Mrs. Obiageli Orah, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, FAAN, said that the action was in line with Part C, Section 55 of the Lagos State Law on People with Special Needs, which states that: “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.” The statement indicated that the shutdown of the facility followed the findings of the team deployed by FAAN to investigate the matter. The agency also directed the KFC management to tender an unreserved apology, in writing, to the affected PRM and cause a policy statement of non-discrimination to be pasted conspicuously at the doorpost of its facility at the airport before being allowed to resume operations. It added: “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.”

To say the very least, the incident leaves a sour taste in the mouth. All that Mr. Daniel wanted to do was grab a bite and relax while awaiting his flight, but he was treated like trash. It is unthinkable that anyone, no matter their estate in life, would be treated in such a shameful manner. We are not aware of any social custom or law that permits such a horrendous treatment of a fellow human on account of their physical challenge. The case is even made worse by the fact that the victim in this case tried his best to make his abuser see reason and act responsibly but was sternly rebuffed. There are no words to describe this level of crudity, immaturity and mischief. Even if there was a policy that forbade PRMs from using the KFC facility—and such a policy would be patently illegal—the KFC manager’s humanity ought to have caused her to elevate substance over form, at least in this instance, seeing the victim’s condition. Sadly, this was not done and instead, the patently discriminatory, illegal and inhuman “policy” was reiterated when the victim’s relations returned to the facility after his expulsion under the pretext of buying food.

People living with disability are not sub-human; they deserve dignity like everyone else. Indeed, given the cultures and religions to which Nigerians subscribe, they should be treated with utmost courtesy and should even enjoy certain privileges on account of their condition which, even in the unlikely event that they foisted it on themselves, does not warrant abuse of any kind. Certainly, Mr. Daniel does not wish to be in a helpless situation; not being able to do certain things without help is a condition that life has foisted on him, and one that he has handled admirably. We urge him to consider the groundswell of opposition to his maltreatment and refuse to be bowed by the incident. By the same token, we note the apology by the KFC management and its assurances that “KFC is unwavering in our stance against bias or discrimination in any form, with inclusivity and respect as non-negotiable pillars of our values,”  that it had “embarked on efforts to address the situation,” including “urgently implementing inclusion training for all our employees,” and that the incident “is not reflective of” its standards.” That is the way to go. It should rescind any extant discriminatory tendencies among its workforce.

We think that the government has done well in this case. That is how it should address issues that have to do with the citizenry.

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