The exit of Uber from Nigeria has sparked fresh calls for reforms in the regulation of airport transport and ride-hailing services, with the Chairman of the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics (AERE), Dele Oye, urging authorities to prioritise transparency, competition and consumer choice.
Oye said Uber’s decision to end its ride-hailing operations in Nigeria after 12 years should not be viewed simply as the departure of a private company, but as an opportunity to examine how emerging mobility businesses are regulated in the country.
In a statement on Sunday, the former President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) said recent developments surrounding e-hailing services at Nigerian airports had exposed concerns about how transport regulations affect competition and prices.
According to him, there is a legitimate need to regulate airport transportation because of security concerns, but such regulation must be transparent and proportionate.
> “The question is whether regulation is transparent, proportionate and designed in a way that protects both security and competition.”
Oye particularly raised concerns about the affordability of airport transportation, citing a reported instance where an airport car-hire desk quoted an American traveller N30,000 for a trip to Ikeja GRA, while an Uber fare for the same journey was reportedly between N6,000 and N8,000.
He argued that significant price differences become a consumer protection issue when passengers have limited transportation alternatives.
The AERE chairman also criticised what he described as “regulation by invoice”, warning that licensing requirements, airport access conditions, integration demands and concession charges should not become difficult for the public to distinguish from revenue-generating arrangements.
He called on authorities to clearly explain the purpose and cost of every airport transport requirement, including the safety or operational risk being addressed and the service provided in return.
Oye further advocated a level playing field for major ride-hailing platforms and traditional transport operators.
He said Uber, Bolt, inDrive and conventional car-hire companies should operate under comparable standards covering driver identification, vehicle safety, insurance, incident reporting and passenger complaints.
He also urged the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other relevant agencies to preserve passenger choice by providing designated pick-up zones, verifying drivers and preventing solicitation without effectively forcing travellers to use one category of transport.
According to him, airports should also publicly display approved operators, fares, concession arrangements and complaint channels.
His comments come after Bolt reached an operational agreement with FAAN and was cleared to resume operations at FAAN-managed airports on August 27.
Oye said the development showed that airport security and digital transportation could coexist when regulatory requirements are clearly defined and fairly enforced.
He also urged the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to continue examining the circumstances surrounding Uber’s withdrawal, including possible outstanding customer obligations, payments and consumer redress.
However, he cautioned against assuming wrongdoing before the conclusion of any investigation.
> “Investigation is about establishing facts, not finding a convenient villain,” he said.
Oye also warned against rushing to publish figures on jobs allegedly lost following Uber’s exit, noting that the company had not publicly disclosed the number of drivers or riders directly affected.
He said the eventual impact would depend on whether affected drivers move to other platforms such as Bolt and inDrive, operate independently or leave the ride-hailing sector altogether.
The AERE chairman ultimately called for what he described as “better regulation”, rather than less regulation, insisting that Nigeria needs rules that are clear, risk-based, publicly available, fairly administered and regularly reviewed.
“Nigeria should not have to choose between security and affordability, or between regulation and innovation,” Oye said.
