People Living with Blindness on Monday shut down the domestic airport in Lagos, and blocked traffic on both sides of the road leading to and from the airport.
The activity brought traffic to a standstill up to Ikeja Under Bridge as no vehicle was able to move forward or make a U-turn.
The protest, which began by 11: 00 am and led by Kelly Egwere (Kellyblind), a popular Nigerian comedian and broadcaster, saw members of the blind community converging and taking over the gate of the domestic airport, blocking traffic in and out of the airport as well as the main roads.
The crux of the protest, according to the organisers, was the continued closure of the 67-year-old Nigerian Framcraft Centre for the Blind, Isheri-Olofin, Alimosho which was established by the British colonial government.
They also lamented the negligence of the government in capturing People Living with Disabilities (PLWD) in the 2025 N54.9 trillion budget.
According to Kellyblind, with a population of over 27 million, “how can the government not capture them in its budget, we are not happy, he said.
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“That’s the only blind school owned by the Federal Government and it was shut down on June 6, 2024 despite the payment of N120,000 as school fees by each student with no reason given for it to be shut down.
“If they open the school, we will open the airport. Many of us were not born blind. I attended that school 46 years ago.
“A police officer in Kogi State was in that school because he lost his sight in the course of service. A lot of police officers are there, so they should give us covers and backups,” he said.
While insisting that they were not going to leave the airport until their demands were met, Kellyblind disclosed that they left their houses with food and mats.
Tennyson Williams, one of the protesters and a former staff of Volkswagen Nigeria, who’s been blind for 21 years, noted that since the school was shut, some of their members have resorted to begging and prostitution.
Ezenwa Camovice, CEO of Seven Stars Interglobal, who came to support the community, disclosed that they have written several letters to the Federal Government without getting a response.
“If they give N100 million to be blind, you will not accept it. They are only asking that the government should give them a little support. The budget of 2025 is over N54 trillion, why can’t they drop a little per cent of it for the disabled.”
Esther Oboli, mother to a 14 year old blind son, narrated that her son was previously attending Ketu Special Children’s School in Lagos until it was also shut down without explanation while the parents were asked to go and care for their children at home.
“The same fate has also befallen Framcraft Centre. You don’t want beggars on the streets, yet you shut down their schools making it impossible for them to live a better life.
“What we are asking for is that they should please open Framcraft School for us. I am asking the governor of Lagos since his election to office what he has done for children living with disabilities.”
She remarked that PLWD are only remembered when the government is seeking for their vote during elections.
