Uber had been considering leaving the Nigerian market before its disagreement with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) over airport operations, FAAN Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, has said.
Kuku made the clarification while speaking with journalists at the airport on Friday, amid speculation that FAAN’s restrictions on e-hailing operators contributed to Uber’s decision to exit Nigeria.
She said FAAN had no role in the ride-hailing company’s decision, explaining that the authority’s concerns were centred on passenger safety, accountability and the need to curb touting at airports.
“I’m sure they had their own reasons, and I know they had been considering exiting Nigeria for a while, which is why we had a stumbling point with them.
“So, it has nothing to do with FAAN. Again, the airport is just a small part of the wider area in which they operate within Nigeria.”
The controversy followed FAAN’s decision, weeks ago, to temporarily halt commercial pick-ups by e-hailing drivers at its airports pending the finalisation and execution of licence agreements.
The move sparked speculation that the authority was seeking to restrict existing e-hailing operators to create room for its newly introduced airport e-hailing platform, ACHRAMS.
Kuku rejected the suggestion, saying passenger protection remained FAAN’s primary responsibility.
“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.
“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.”
According to her, FAAN’s intervention was prompted by complaints from passengers, particularly during the December holiday period, about their experiences with some e-hailing and car-hire operators around the airports.
“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 some passengers complained of intimidation and being taken to unintended locations, while other cases were more serious.
Kuku also alleged that some e-hailing drivers had exploited the airport system by presenting themselves as legitimate platform operators before joining car-hire operators and charging passengers higher fares.
“We also had situations where some Uber and Bolt drivers would get out of their cars under the guise of coming into the airport as e-hailing drivers, and then join the car-hire operators to charge higher fares.
“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,” she maintained.
She said ACHRAMS was introduced to provide passengers with greater transparency over the identity of operators and drivers conveying them from the airport.
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“The app that was developed was strictly focused on ensuring that passengers have visibility into who the car-hire companies are and who the driver taking them from Point A to Point B is,” she explained.
Kuku stressed that FAAN does not operate the car-hire services or collect fares from passengers.
“FAAN does not collect money on behalf of the drivers. Those car-hire drivers are not FAAN drivers. All we do is provide an indication of the rates based on the destination you are travelling to,” she said.
She added that passengers remained free to choose between pre-booked vehicles, e-hailing applications and car-hire services.
“It is the passenger’s choice whether to pre-book a car, use an e-hailing app, or use a car-hire service. We have no jurisdiction over that,” Kuku stated.
The FAAN boss said the authority’s responsibility was to ensure that passengers could identify drivers operating within airport premises and that those drivers could be held accountable.
“The only responsibility I have is to ensure that passengers have visibility into who is driving them and that there is accountability for those operating within our airports.”
On FAAN’s disagreement with e-hailing companies, Kuku said liability for drivers using the platforms remained a major sticking point.
She explained that although the companies requested designated airport pick-up areas and FAAN agreed to the arrangement, the authority also expected them to accept responsibility for the conduct and safety of drivers operating through their platforms.
“One of the issues we were struggling with the e-hailing companies over was largely around liability clauses.
“But we also wanted them to take responsibility for the drivers. However, we were told that those drivers are not Uber’s drivers; rather, they are independent drivers.
“So, with regard to any safety concerns we raised, they wanted passengers to use the safety features available on their platforms. They did not want to take on that responsibility, and we had a major issue with that.”