BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said Uber’s decision to exit Nigeria has nothing to do with the agency’s regulation of car-hire services at airports.
The Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, said the authority’s primary responsibility was to ensure passenger safety, security and a seamless travel experience at Nigerian airports.
Speaking on the development, the FAAN boss said the agency had received numerous complaints from passengers, particularly during the December holiday period, about poor experiences with some e-hailing and car-hire services.
According to the FAAN MD, some passengers reported cases ranging from intimidation to being dropped at locations other than their destinations, with some incidents described as more extreme.
The agency also discovered that some drivers operating with e-hailing platforms would leave their vehicles and present themselves as airport e-hailing drivers before joining car-hire operators to charge passengers higher fares.
Kuku said the situation, coupled with complaints about touting at the airports, prompted the authority to introduce regulatory oversight for car-hire operators.
She explained that the app developed by FAAN was intended to provide passengers with visibility on approved car-hire companies and the identities of drivers taking them from one destination to another.
“FAAN does not collect money on behalf of the drivers. Those car-hire drivers are not FAAN drivers. All we do is to give you a sample of the rates based on the destination that you’re going to,” she said.
She added that car-hire operators traditionally charge higher fares because they typically transport passengers from one point to the airport and return to the airport, unlike e-hailing services.
According to her, passengers remain free to choose between pre-booked cars, e-hailing services and airport car hires, stressing that FAAN has no jurisdiction over that choice.
“The only thing that I have a responsibility to do is to ensure that you have visibility over who is driving you and those within our airport,” she said.
On FAAN’s relationship with e-hailing companies, the agency’s chief executive said discussions had largely stalled over liability issues involving drivers.
She said the companies had requested dedicated pick-up zones at airports, which FAAN agreed to provide, but the authority also wanted the platforms to accept responsibility for the drivers operating through them.
The companies, however, argued that the drivers were independent contractors rather than their employees, according to the FAAN MD.
She said this position created a major concern for the airport authority, particularly over passenger safety.
“They did not want to take up that responsibility, and we had a major issue with that,” she said.
The FAAN boss maintained that Uber’s decision to leave Nigeria was based on its own economic and regulatory considerations and was not caused by the airport authority.
“I’m sure that they had their own reasoning, and I know that they had been considering exiting Nigeria for a while,” she said.
She added that the airport represented only a small part of the wider Nigerian market covered by e-hailing companies and therefore FAAN should not be blamed for Uber’s exit.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
