The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Kuku, has said its regulatory measures for e-hailing and car-hire services at airports are aimed primarily at protecting passengers and improving their travel experience, rather than restricting operators.
Fielding questions from journalists at the unveiling of the “Aviation Hall of Fame”, in Ikeja, Lagos, she explained that it introduced greater oversight of airport transportation services following complaints from passengers, particularly during the December holiday period, over alleged intimidation, excessive fares, unsafe journeys and other unpleasant experiences involving some e-hailing and car-hire operators.
She said the agency’s primary responsibility was to ensure that passengers were safe, protected and provided with a seamless experience within the airport environment.
According to her, FAAN could not comment on Uber’s decision to leave Nigeria, noting that the ride-hailing company would have its own economic and regulatory considerations for the decision.
Kuku revealed that FAAN had received numerous complaints from passengers who used e-hailing and car-hire services, with some alleging that they were intimidated, dropped at locations other than their intended destinations and subjected to other extreme experiences.
She also disclosed that some drivers associated with e-hailing platforms allegedly left their vehicles and posed as car-hire operators within the airport in order to charge passengers higher fares.
“Based on this, it was important—because everybody was complaining about the touting at the airport—that we provided even some sort of regulatory oversight on the car hires,” she said.
The FAAN Managing Director explained that the digital application introduced by FAAN was designed to provide passengers with greater visibility over registered car-hire operators and the identity of drivers conveying them from the airport.
FAAN, she stressed, does not collect fares on behalf of the drivers, nor are the car-hire operators FAAN employees.
“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”, the official said.
She further explained that passengers remained free to choose their preferred means of transportation, whether through pre-booked vehicles, e-hailing platforms or airport car-hire services.
FAAN’s role, according to her, was limited to ensuring that passengers had adequate information about the identity of drivers operating within the airport environment.
“One of the things that we were struggling with the e-hailing companies was largely around liability clauses”, she said.
Speaking further, she said the e-hailing companies had requested dedicated pick-up zones at airports, a request FAAN was willing to accommodate, but disagreements arose over responsibility for drivers and passenger safety.
Kuku said the companies maintained that their drivers were independent contractors rather than employees of the platforms, making the companies reluctant to accept direct responsibility for incidents involving the drivers.
“They wanted us to give them dedicated pickup zones, which we agreed to, but we also wanted them to take responsibilities for the drivers”, she said.
She stated that the companies instead directed passengers to use safety features available on their applications, a position that FAAN found problematic in discussions over passenger protection.
On allegations that FAAN’s policies contributed to Uber’s decision to exit Nigeria, Kuku rejected the suggestion, maintaining that the ride-hailing company’s operations extended far beyond airports.
“I’m sure that they had their own reasoning, and I know that they had been considering exiting Nigeria for a while”, the official said, adding that the airport represented only a small part of the company’s operations in the country.
She maintained that FAAN’s transportation measures should therefore be viewed within the broader objective of improving safety, accountability and passenger experience at Nigerian airports.