The Centre for Infrastructural and Technological Advancement for the Blind (CITAB) has called on the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to suspend all final approvals for the Maryland Interchange project until a comprehensive Universal Design Audit is conducted and fully integrated into the project plan.
In a press statement issued on Saturday, November 22, 2025, and signed by its Executive Chairman, Jolomi George Fenemigho, CITAB expressed concern that the needs of blind and visually impaired persons continue to be neglected in major public infrastructure developments. The organisation warned that approving the project without verified accessibility features would amount to a violation of both national and state disability laws.
Fenemigho cited the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018 and the Lagos State Special People’s Law, 2011, which mandate that all public facilities must be accessible to persons with disabilities. He noted that the absence of standardized tactile paving, audible pedestrian signals, and universal design features in large-scale projects contradicts these legal provisions and undermines the rights of disabled residents.
CITAB warned that the Maryland Interchange, now backed by international financing, could repeat past mistakes where accessibility was sidelined. The group demanded the permanent installation of tactile paving, audible pedestrian signals at all crossings, and the adoption of universal design principles throughout the project.
Reaffirming its position, CITAB insisted that accessibility is not a matter of charity but a legal obligation. The organisation urged government authorities, contractors, civil society groups, and the general public to ensure that no further construction or funding proceeds until genuine, verifiable accessibility is guaranteed, calling on Lagos State to set a true standard for inclusive urban development.
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