The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has rejected claims that its restrictions on e-hailing operations at airports contributed to Uber’s decision to leave Nigeria.
FAAN Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, said the ride-hailing company’s exit was a business decision and was unrelated to the authority’s efforts to regulate commercial transportation within airport premises.
Speaking with journalists on Friday at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, amid renewed questions over the timing of Uber’s departure and the recent disagreement between FAAN and e-hailing operators.
Uber announced on 2 September that it was discontinuing operations in Nigeria after 12 years in the country, saying the decision followed a review of its evolving business priorities and investment focus across Africa.
PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that the company specifically said its exit was not related to the recent FAAN directive on e-hailing operations at Nigerian airports.
FAAN Managing Director said the airport authority had no control over Uber’s wider operations in Nigeria.
“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,” Ms Kuku said.
She added that Uber had been considering its departure for some time and that airports accounted for only a small part of the company’s activities in Nigeria.
“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,” she noted.
Why FAAN restricted e-hailing operations
The controversy over e-hailing services at Nigerian airports began weeks before Uber’s departure.
On 30 July, FAAN directed airport managers to stop Uber and Bolt from conducting commercial operations at airports under…
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