The House of Representatives Committee on Disabilities has invited the management of a popular food outlet, Kentucky Fried Chicken, over the alleged ill-treatment of Mr Adebola Daniel, son of former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel and a person living with a disability.
According to The PUNCH, the committee’s chairman, Bashiru Ayinla, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing House of Representatives correspondents at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
Ayinla, a member of the All Progressives Congress representing Oshodi/Isolo-1 Federal Constituency, Lagos State, said the committee would ensure that those found to have breached the Disability Act are punished by the provisions of the law.
Adebola, a wheelchair user was said to have been denied access to the KFC outlet within the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos last week with the manager quoted as saying, “No wheelchair allowed.”
Speaking on the development, the lawmaker said, “We have invited KFC and there will be an investigation which will be based on House rules.”
He added, “The discriminatory incident, highlighted by Mr Daniel’s public account, sheds light on the challenges being faced by individuals with disabilities in Nigeria.
“Mr Daniel, a wheelchair user, faced humiliation when he was refused entry to the KFC outlet, with the manager stating, ‘No wheelchair allowed.’ This treatment is unacceptable and goes against the principles of inclusivity and respect and it is a violation of the Disability Act.”
It would be recalled that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria shut down a branch of a popular food outlet, KFC, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos State.
FAAN stated this on Thursday in a statement signed by its Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs Obiageli Orah.
The statement, titled, ‘FAAN shuts down KFC outlet at MMIA,’ noted that the food outlet violated the Lagos State law on People with Special Needs, Part C, Section 55 of General Provisions on Discrimination.
The statement added that the directive followed a social media report by a Passenger with Reduced Mobility who alleged discriminatory treatment he received at the airport.
