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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Energy & Infrastructure

FAAN says it did not cause Uber’s exit from Nigeria

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku said FAAN did not cause Uber’s decision to leave the Nigerian market.
  • She said FAAN restricted commercial airport pickups after passenger complaints about intimidation, unexpected drop-offs and higher fares.
  • Kuku said FAAN’s airport e-hailing platform aims to improve transparency by identifying car-hire companies and drivers.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria says Uber’s departure from the country was not its doing. FAAN Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku said the authority’s priority was passenger safety and a smoother airport experience.

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.

· Olubunmi KukuKuku explained FAAN’s stated rationale for regulating airport pickups.

FAAN temporarily barred e-hailing drivers from commercial pickups at its airports while it finalised licence agreements. Critics argued that the move was designed to clear the way for FAAN’s own airport e-hailing platform, ACHRAMS. Kuku rejected that interpretation, saying Uber’s decision reflected the company’s own economic and regulatory considerations.

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.

· Olubunmi KukuShe denied that FAAN was responsible for Uber’s departure.

She said passengers had made numerous complaints, particularly during the December holiday period. The complaints included intimidation, passengers being dropped at unintended locations and other serious incidents. Kuku also alleged that some Uber and Bolt drivers posed as legitimate e-hailing operators before joining car-hire operators and charging passengers more.

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.

· Olubunmi KukuKuku described the complaints that prompted FAAN’s intervention.

Those complaints, together with concerns about touting, led FAAN to impose regulatory oversight on car-hire services operating at airports. Kuku said the authority’s app was designed to give passengers visibility into the companies and drivers transporting them, rather than to determine Uber’s commercial future in Nigeria.

Because there were widespread complaints about touting at the airport, it was important for us to provide some form of regulatory oversight for the car-hire operators.

· Olubunmi KukuShe linked airport regulation to concerns about touting and passenger treatment.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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