Investigative journalist David Hundeyin has questioned the real reasons behind Uber’s decision to end its operations in Nigeria, alleging that the ride-hailing company’s prolonged presence in the country may have served purposes beyond transporting passengers.
Hundeyin, while analysing Uber’s business model in Nigeria, argued that the company faced fundamental commercial challenges that made sustained profitability difficult, particularly in a market where consumers are highly sensitive to transportation costs.
He said the company’s conventional ride-hailing model was difficult to sustain because Nigerians with higher incomes were more likely to own vehicles or employ drivers, while many other commuters relied on cheaper alternatives such as danfo buses, BRT, keke, okada and walking.
According to him, rising fuel prices, vehicle maintenance, repairs and depreciation also made it difficult for many drivers and vehicle owners to achieve meaningful profits from the platform.
Hundeyin, who said he personally drove for Uber for three months in 2016, claimed his experience convinced him that the economics of the business were challenging for drivers.
However, rather than attributing Uber’s continued presence solely to commercial considerations, the journalist advanced a more controversial theory.
He alleged that the company’s operations provided access to valuable mobility data capable of revealing detailed patterns about people’s movements, including where users lived, worked and travelled.
Its real business in Nigeria was not ride hailing, but data gathering,” Hundeyin alleged.
Hundeyin further claimed that Uber’s data could potentially provide insights into social relationships and personal routines, while linking the company broadly to the US military-industrial complex and intelligence interests.
He cited revelations associated with former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden in support of his argument about the ability of intelligence agencies to access data held by technology companies.
The journalist went on to speculate that years of ride-hailing activity in major Nigerian cities such as Lagos and Abuja could have generated a substantial database of movement patterns.
He ultimately suggested that Uber’s decision to leave Nigeria may not have been an abrupt commercial decision, but could instead have followed the conclusion of an alleged US government contract.
Hundeyin said he was “willing to bet” that the company’s exit was connected to the expiration of such a contract.
His claims, however, remain allegations and speculation, and he did not provide evidence in the remarks establishing that Uber operated in Nigeria under a US government data-gathering contract.
