Airport policies did not drive Uber out of Nigeria, FAAN says

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria says its restrictions on e-hailing services did not drive Uber out of the country, rejecting speculation that the policy was designed to favor FAAN’s new airport platform.

FAAN Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku said Uber’s decision to leave Nigeria was a business choice. Speaking to journalists at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, she said the agency’s priority was to protect passengers and ensure a smooth travel experience.

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I work for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and my first responsibility is to ensure that our passengers are safe, protected and have a seamless passenger experience.

FAAN temporarily stopped e-hailing drivers from making commercial pickups at its airports while it finalized and executed license agreements. The move prompted speculation that the agency was creating space for ACHRAMS, its newly introduced airport e-hailing platform.

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Regarding Uber, I can’t speak to their exit from Nigeria. I’m sure they have their own economic and regulatory considerations as to why they chose to exit.

Kuku said the intervention followed numerous passenger complaints, especially during the December holiday period. She said the complaints included intimidation, passengers being dropped at unintended locations and other serious incidents. Some drivers, she alleged, posed as legitimate e-hailing operators before joining car-hire operators and charging passengers higher fares.

“We received a lot of complaints, especially around the December holiday period, from passengers who used some of the e-hailing services, as well as car-hire services, and had very unpleasant experiences,” she said. The FAAN chief said the agency’s app was designed to let passengers identify the car-hire company and the driver taking them to their destination.

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We received a lot of complaints, especially around the December holiday period, from passengers who used some of the e-hailing services, as well as car-hire services, and had very unpleasant experiences.