• New technologies, passenger expectations transforming aviation, says ex-NSIB boss

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says it is probing Uber’s abrupt exit from Nigeria, particularly the ride-hailing company’s handling of unfulfilled services to customers.

Recall that many customers had complained about the abrupt shutdown of the Uber app after the announcement, despite commitments to riders and the drivers.

Speaking to Bloomberg on Sunday, Tunji Bello, chief executive officer (CEO) of FCCPC, said officials at the FCCPC will probe the manner of Uber’s exit.

He said officials at the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission are “looking into the manner of their exit, particularly in respect of unfulfilled services to the customers”.

Meanwhile, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has dismissed claims linking the exit of ride-hailing company Uber from Nigeria to its operations at the country’s airports.
  
FAAN said the e-hailing platform had been considering leaving the Nigerian market before now. The Managing Director, FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, stated this at the weekend in an interview with aviation journalists.
  
According to Kuku, Uber’s decision was based on its own economic and regulatory considerations and had nothing to do with the airport authority.
  
She emphasised that the disagreement between FAAN and e-hailing companies was primarily centred on passenger safety and the issue of liability for drivers operating within airport premises.
  
She insisted FAAN’s primary responsibility was to protect passengers and ensure a seamless travel experience, rather than determine the commercial decisions of e-hailing companies.
  
She said: “For Uber, I can’t speak to their exit from Nigeria. I’m sure they have their own economic and regulatory decisions as to why they chose to exit. But a couple of things are very clear. What was important for FAAN is to ensure that we addressed passenger concerns.
  
“We did receive a lot of concerns, especially around the December holiday period, about passengers who took some of the e-hailing. So, I don’t want to mention one or the other, but some of the e-hailing services, and even the car hire services, had very terrible experiences. 
  
“Some of them went all the way from intimidation to being dropped in other places, and even more extreme situations.”
  
The complaints, according to her, compelled FAAN to introduce greater regulatory oversight over commercial car-hire operations at the airports.

Meanwhile, the former Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Akin Olateru, has said that rapid technological advancement, changing passenger expectations and growing sustainability concerns are reshaping the aviation industry.
  
He therefore canvassed the need to preserve professionalism, leadership, innovation and service in the Nigerian aviation industry.
  
Olateru, who spoke as the Chairman at the second induction ceremony of the Nigeria Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHOF) held in Lagos at the weekend, stressed that the industry must ensure that the values that had sustained aviation over the years remained central to its future development.
  
The ceremony, organised under the theme ‘The Next Generation of Aviation Leaders: Talent, Technology and Global Competitiveness’, recognised 18 Nigerians for their contributions to the development of the country’s aviation sector.