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Disability-Friendly Airports: FAAN Pledges Improvement On Facilities

Published

3 years ago

November 2, 2023

Joel Ajayi

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, says it will improve access for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) at the nation’s airports and work with airline operators to upgrade amenities needed for air travel nationwide.

FAAN’s assurances came during an anti-corruption radio programme, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by the Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development, PRIMORG, on Wednesday in Abuja.

A recent investigative report by TheCable exposed that people with disabilities are still having harrowing experiences at Nigerian airports as accessibility to facilities remains poor despite the inclusivity law.

Speaking during the programme, Head of Department, Public Affairs, FAAN, Alex Okosun, said the government establishment is not oblivious of the plight of persons with disabilities at Nigerian airports, which ranges from difficulties with accessing facilities, lack of aircraft carriers for people on wheelchairs, less-visible signage, among other issues.

Okosun, however, pledged that FAAN will look into all the challenges of persons with disabilities at Nigerian airports to improve service delivery.

“We (FAAN) listen to complaints, and we try to do our best to improve our facilities. We have a lot of people with special needs who come to the airport and engage our management.

“We listen to complaints of persons with disabilities, and we will try to do our best. We always try to improve our facilities. I promise that when we get back to the office, we are going to do a total report and make sure we pursue it to a logical conclusion. “

He added that FAAN will work with airline operators to ensure they upgrade their aircraft carriers to easily lift passengers on wheelchairs. He also revealed that FAAN is currently having projects to improve amenities at airports across the country but is constrained by government policies and bureaucracy.

Similarly, Deputy General Manager of Customer Care at FAAN, Zuwaira Yahaya-Joe, stated that the PWD community is highly prioritized and working assiduously to improve facilities to suit air travelers with disabilities.

Yahaya-Joe assured that FAAN will “act on challenges of PWDs at airports across the nation and will ensure signage for PWDs at airports are made more conspicuous. She also urged Nigerians to take advantage of airport disability desks and report their challenges to customer care desks regularly.

“We have special passages for PWDs. We have a passage they can go through to the airport and board their aircraft, and concerning signage for people with special needs, we will make them more conspicuous and make sure we improve so that people are able to know where and where to go,” Yahaya-Joe stated.

Earlier on the programme, The Executive Director of the Center for Citizens with Disabilities, CCD, David Anyaele, called on FAAN to conduct accessibility audits at airports nationwide to understand the difficulties PWDs are grappling with.

Anyaele lamented that PWDs continue to face discriminatory attitudes from airport staffers, poor access to facilities, inadequate information and other issues.

“I advise that FAAN conducts accessibility audits for people with disabilities using Nigerian airports. We’ve done our part by sharing with you, taking time to conduct a survey to audit regarding disabilities access to airports”.

He noted that “when people with disabilities want to use the airports, they struggle much more than people without disability, during this period.

“Key among the problems of PWDs are information dissemination and access to aircraft, which remains a nightmare to physically challenged persons. There is no mobile lift, which is available in other countries where if you want to board if you are a person on weight or crotches, they will use the mobile elevator, “Anyaele said.

He commended PRIMORG for bringing the challenges of persons with disabilities at airports to public knowledge.

Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program PRIMORG uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation.

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AWESSA 2026: Customs Assures Border Cooperation for Women Entrepreneurs

Published

7 hours ago

October 25, 2026

The Gleamer

By James Samuel, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service has said the nation’s borders must become gateways of opportunity for African women entrepreneurs, not obstacles that kill their businesses.

This was disclosed at the African Women’s Economic Sovereignty Summit and Awards (AWESSA) 2026 held at the Customs House, corporate headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service in Abuja.

Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, his representative, an Assistant Controller, said hosting the summit inside Customs premises was deliberate.

“That this summit holds within the Customs premises is no accident. It is a statement of intent,” he said.

“The border is where the promise of every African trader either comes alive or dies quietly. And the men and women of this Service have resolved that for every woman entrepreneur of this continent, that promise will never die.”

He said women account for an estimated 70% of informal cross-border trade in Africa and over half of agricultural labour, yet they face documentation, standards, finance and harassment challenges.

“Too often she meets the border as an obstacle rather than a gateway. Because she trades in small volumes, in cash, in informality without formal papers, capable business women are now trapped in informality, invisible to trade statistics,” he noted.

He added: “AfCFTA will not be delivered by treaties alone. It will be delivered at border posts, in conference halls, and in market stores.”

Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, represented by a Director, said women are central to Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.

According to her, NEPC’s focus is now on building export- ready competitive enterprises through programmes like the Women in Export Initiative, Export Clinic, and Zero to Export.

“Our focus is no longer on encouraging exports alone, it is on building competitive export-ready enterprises. We are supporting women to move beyond production into value addition, quality assurance, standard compliance, branding and market positioning,” she said.

She said AfCFTA offers a market of over one billion people, but women need knowledge, certifications and institutional support.

“Empowering women economically is one of the most effective tools for achieving poverty reduction, food security, job creation and inclusive growth,” she stated.

The Convener, Helen Okon, who is the Publisher of Business Review Africa & Africa Today Magazine, as well as representatives of NAFDAC DG and NEXIM Bank MD, reaffirmed commitment to supporting women-owned businesses access standards, certification and finance.

The summit, with the theme of positioning women as drivers of trade and sustainable development, is part of activities marking the International Year of the Women Farmer.

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