The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Olubunmi Kuku, has said FAAN played no role in Uber’s decision to exit the Nigerian market.

Kuku, who spoke with journalists at the airport on Friday, said Uber’s departure was a decision for the company based on its own economic and regulatory considerations.

She said FAAN’s actions were driven primarily by concerns over passenger safety, accountability and the need to curb touting at airports.

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

Kuku said the intervention followed numerous complaints from passengers, particularly during the December holiday period, about unpleasant experiences with some e-hailing and car-hire services.

She said complaints included intimidation, passengers being dropped at unintended locations and other more serious incidents.

The FAAN boss also alleged that some drivers operating on e-hailing platforms had posed as legitimate e-hailing operators before joining car-hire operators to charge passengers higher fares.

She said this, alongside concerns about touting, prompted FAAN to introduce regulatory oversight for car-hire operators.

Kuku said the airport e-hailing platform introduced by FAAN was designed to improve transparency by allowing passengers to identify the car-hire company and driver conveying them.

She stressed that FAAN did not operate the car-hire services or collect payments on behalf of drivers, but only provided indicative fares based on passengers’ destinations.

On disagreements between FAAN and e-hailing companies, Kuku said a major issue was liability and responsibility for drivers operating on the platforms.

She said while the companies sought dedicated airport pick-up zones and FAAN agreed, the authority also expected them to accept responsibility for the conduct and safety of drivers using their platforms.

Kuku dismissed suggestions that FAAN’s policies contributed to Uber’s exit, saying the company had been considering leaving Nigeria for some time.

“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.