The Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, made the clarification while speaking with journalists at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos on Friday, amid growing concerns over the authority’s recent decision to temporarily halt commercial pick-ups by e-hailing drivers at its airports.
FAAN had, a week earlier, directed e-hailing operators to suspend commercial passenger pick-ups at its airports pending the conclusion and execution of licence agreements with the authority.
The decision triggered speculation that the restriction was connected to the launch of FAAN’s airport e-hailing platform, ACHRAMS, with some observers suggesting that the new arrangement could give the agency’s platform an advantage over established operators.
Kuku, however, dismissed such suggestions, insisting that the authority’s primary concern was passenger safety, accountability and the quality of the travel experience at Nigerian airports.
“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,” she said.
According to the FAAN chief, the authority’s decision to introduce greater regulatory oversight followed numerous complaints from passengers who used e-hailing and car-hire services, particularly during the December holiday period.
“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.
Kuku said some of the complaints involved intimidation and passengers being dropped off at locations different from their intended destinations, while other incidents raised more serious safety concerns.
She also alleged that some drivers associated with e-hailing platforms had exploited weaknesses in the airport system by presenting themselves as legitimate e-hailing operators before linking up with 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 said.
FAAN Explains New Airport Platform
Kuku said the airport e-hailing platform introduced by FAAN was primarily intended to improve transparency and accountability rather than take over the operations of private transport companies.
According to her, the platform allows passengers to obtain information about the car-hire company and driver responsible for transporting them, thereby creating greater visibility throughout the journey.
“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 said.
She stressed that FAAN was not operating the car-hire businesses and would not collect fares on behalf of the drivers.
“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.
The FAAN boss also addressed concerns about the comparatively higher cost of some airport car-hire services, saying the fares reflected the operators’ business models and that passengers remained free to choose their preferred means of transportation.
“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,” she said.
Kuku maintained that the authority’s responsibility was not to dictate how passengers should travel but to ensure that transport operators within the airport environment could be identified and 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,” she said.
Liability Dispute With E-Hailing Firms
Kuku also disclosed that liability had emerged as one of the major areas of disagreement between FAAN and e-hailing companies during discussions over the regulation of their operations at airports.
She said e-hailing companies had requested dedicated pick-up areas at airports, a proposal FAAN was prepared to accommodate. However, the authority also wanted the companies to accept responsibility for the conduct and safety of drivers operating through their platforms.
According to Kuku, the companies maintained that the drivers were independent contractors rather than direct employees, creating difficulties over who should bear responsibility when safety-related incidents occurred.
“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,” she said.
‘It Has Nothing to Do With FAAN’
Kuku strongly rejected suggestions that FAAN’s airport policies were responsible for Uber’s departure from the Nigerian market.
She said Uber had been considering its exit for some time and argued that the airport represented only a small part of the company’s wider operations across Nigeria.
“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,” she said.
The controversy comes amid increasing efforts by FAAN to strengthen oversight of commercial transport services operating within airport premises.
While e-hailing companies have become an important part of urban transportation in Nigeria, their operations within airports have raised questions around passenger safety, access, pricing, accountability and the responsibilities of platforms towards drivers and passengers.
FAAN’s position is that greater regulation is necessary to address these concerns without preventing passengers from choosing between pre-booked vehicles, e-hailing services and traditional airport car-hire operators.
The authority’s ongoing engagement with e-hailing companies is therefore expected to determine how such services can operate within Nigerian airports while meeting the regulator’s requirements on safety, accountability and passenger protection.