Physically challenged persons protesting at the Lagos airport on Monday.

Operations at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos were on Monday disrupted as hundreds of physically challenged individuals staged a massive protest over the closure of a government-run school for people with blindness.

The protesters, armed with a banner of the Farmcraft Centre for the Blind, blocked major access roads to the airport, causing significant gridlock and halting movement for passengers and airport workers.

This demonstration disrupted airport operations, resulting in many passengers missing their flights.

Our correspondent, who monitored the protest, observed as many passengers with luggage trekked long distances to catch up with their flights.

According to the demonstrators, the protest was an attempt to draw President Bola Tinubu’s attention to the plight of students of the school for the blind whose education had been stalled for nearly two years.

Protesters vowed to remain at the airport until they received a concrete response from the government regarding the reopening of their school.

A leader of the protest, who identified himself simply as Mr. Dolor, narrated efforts that had been put in place to secure the reopening of the school before they resorted to the protest.

He added that the protest had drawn over 500 participants, with more reportedly arriving from different parts of Lagos.

“You can see the blind and other disabled persons. They are angry. A lot of Nigerians see them as beggars, but now, they have their school,  a school that gave them dignity, but it has been shut down without any reason for almost two years.”

The protesters said they had made repeated appeals to both the state and federal authorities through writing and visitations, but had received no response.

“This is why we are here,” Dolor said.

He added, “We do not know if every message reaches the President, but this one, with the whole airport affected, will surely get to him.”

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Obiageli Orah, warned passengers and other airport users of heavy traffic, urging commuters to seek alternative routes and confirm their flight schedules with airlines.

The statement reads, “This is a travel advisory for passengers and commuters to/from Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

“Due to an ongoing protest by the Farmcraft Centre for the Blind, traffic congestion is currently impacting access roads to the airport.”

The authority apologised for the inconvenience caused and advised travellers to remain patient and stay informed through official channels.