FAAN’s ride-booking app triggers airport taxi row

A viral protest by airport cab drivers against the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria's (FAAN) digital taxi reform has brought to light deeper tensions than initially perceived. While the drivers' appeal to President Bola Tinubu focused on a perceived directive to acquire 2020 model vehicles costing between N18 and N30 million, the core issue is a broader feeling of exclusion from reforms impacting their livelihoods.

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This is what we are facing. Nigerians should help us intervene. They said we should go and buy a vehicle from 2020 above. Vehicles that cost between N18 and N30m, with the way Nigeria is now.

The controversy surrounds FAAN's Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS), a digital platform designed to regulate taxi operations, enhance security, and improve passenger flow. FAAN views ACHRAMS as a crucial step toward modernizing airport ground transportation and addressing long-standing security and operational gaps. However, the drivers express concerns that the reform process lacks their input and overlooks practical operational realities.

One driver, featured in a viral video, pleaded for intervention, highlighting the economic hardship in Nigeria and the prohibitive cost of newer vehicles. "Vehicles that cost between N18 and N30m, with the way Nigeria is now," he stated, emphasizing the difficulty of surviving without additional financial burdens. This sentiment resonated with many Nigerians who sympathized with the drivers, while others argued for maintaining international standards at airport gateways.

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There are no jobs in the country, with what we are going through. Please pity us Nigerians. Let this go viral. Nigerians pity us, help us intervene.

FAAN's Director of Commercial and Business Development, Ms. Adebola Agunbiade, clarified that the protest was not triggered by a directive on vehicle models. She described the footage as a "planned resistance" and stated that the drivers' claims about the cause of their actions were inaccurate. The authority maintains that ACHRAMS is designed to improve passenger safety, eliminate touting, and ensure transparent fare administration, suggesting the initiative has been widely misunderstood.

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Regarding the video circulating online, the claim that the main cause of the drivers’ actions is not accurate. The footage shows planned resistance by car hire operators who