[dropcap]N[/dropcap]igerians are no longer accepting what they consider a half-hearted apology from KFC after one of its outlets discriminated against Debola Daniel because he uses a wheelchair.
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KFC is an American fast-food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken.
The unfortunate incident happened yesterday at the outlet located inside MM International in Lagos when Daniel was on his way out of the country with his siblings and wife.
According to the victim, the experience led him to the conclusion that being disabled in Nigeria means being undesirable, unwelcome, and unaccepted.
“It’s a lonely, scary, and isolated place,” he wrote on his official Instagram handle.
In response to the unfortunate incident, KFC Nigeria stated that they regretted the mental distress suffered by the son of the former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
“KFC is unwavering in our stance against bias or discrimination in any form, with inclusivity and respect as non-negotiable pillars of our values.
“However, this recent incident has underscored the pressing need for immediate action. We have embarked on efforts to address the situation. We deeply regret the frustration and distress experienced by our guest and extend sincere apologies to those affected.
“In response, we are urgently implementing inclusion training for all our employees. This incident is not reflective of our standards, and we will act swiftly to rectify it.
“We are actively exploring actions to equip our team members and restaurants better to ensure that every guest feels genuinely welcomed and that we deliver empathetic customer service that proactively addresses the diverse needs of each guest,” the release read.
However, many Nigerians were of the opinion that the apology is rather adding salt to the injury, than ameliorating the pain suffered by their numerous victims.
@Mayjorh: All these ‘turenchi’ without any apology is unacceptable.
@tosynakinyede: We don’t need their apology we need the truth. Is it or is it not in their laws. And if it needs they need to be permanently shut down, an establishment that doesn’t deem their services suitable for those with special needs doesn’t need to exist.
@Comeback_snarky: Copy and paste o!!! @kfcnigeria are wheelchairs allowed in your establishment????
@Jiijiscaryvids: @kfcnigeria your statement omitted an answer to a question so many have. Do you have a no wheelchair policy? Did this manager just come up with this insensitive barbaric policy on her own? She said it had been drummed into them..by who? we need to know where she came up with this!
@Ewa_ocheee: You’re still deflecting. The lady particularly mentioned a company Policy, that’s what you should be addressing
In a very interesting retweet by a popular journalist, David Hundeyin, it was alleged that the outlet plagiarised the content of the statement on the incident, requested AI support for the statement and they could not edit.
“That was why they did not mention his name because the apology was written entirely by a robot; no human feelings, they only wrote vaguely,” an analyst noted.
As a backlash, many Nigerians are calling for the boycott of KFC until the right thing is done and no wheelchair policy is expunged by the company.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
