The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has denied claims that its restrictions on e-hailing operations at airports contributed to Uber’s exit from Nigeria.

FAAN Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, said the ride hailing company’s decision to leave the Nigerian market was based on its own business considerations and had nothing to do with the authority’s policies.

Speaking with journalists at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, on Friday, Kuku said FAAN did not “chase” Uber out of Nigeria, insisting that the airport represents only a small part of the company’s wider operations in the country.

“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.

A week ago, FAAN temporarily stopped e-hailing drivers from conducting commercial pick ups at its airports pending the finalisation and execution of licence agreements.

The move sparked speculation that the restriction was aimed at forcing out existing e hailing operators in favour of ACHRAMS, FAAN’s newly introduced airport transport platform.

But Kuku said the authority’s intervention was driven by complaints from passengers over their experiences with some e hailing and car hire operators, particularly during the December holiday period.

“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,” she said.

According to Kuku, FAAN received numerous complaints ranging from intimidation to passengers being dropped at unintended locations, with some cases involving more serious incidents.

“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.

The FAAN Director also alleged that some drivers operating on e-hailing platforms exploited airport access by posing as legitimate ride hailing operators before joining car hire services to charge 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,” she said.

“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.”

Kuku said FAAN’s newly introduced app was designed to improve transparency and accountability by allowing passengers to identify the car hire companies and drivers taking them to their destinations.

“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 does not collect money on behalf of drivers and does not employ the car hire operators.

“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,” Kuku said.

On concerns about the cost of airport car hire services, she said passengers remained free to choose between pre booking a vehicle, using an e hailing app or engaging airport car hire operators.

“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, however, maintained that FAAN had a responsibility to ensure passengers could identify and hold accountable those transporting them within airport premises.

“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.

She also identified liability as one of the major sticking points in FAAN’s disagreement with e hailing companies.

According to Kuku, while the companies requested dedicated pick up zones at airports, a request FAAN agreed to, the authority expected them to take greater responsibility for the conduct and safety of drivers operating on their platforms.

“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,” she said.

“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.”

Kuku insisted that FAAN’s policies had no connection with Uber’s decision to leave Nigeria, saying the company had been considering its exit for some time.

“I’m sure they had their own reasons, and I know they had been considering exiting Nigeria for a while,” she said.

“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.”