Uber launches Robotaxis in London day after quitting Nigeria

African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said the exit of global ride-hailing brand Uber from Nigeria, alongside the shutdown or scaling down of operations by several major international companies, is further evidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic policies are turning Nigeria into a “graveyard of businesses.”

In a statement yesterday, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the growing list of businesses shutting down, scaling back or leaving the country exposes the widening gap between the government’s claims of economic progress and the reality confronting businesses and ordinary Nigerians.

The party said it was particularly astonishing that President Tinubu and his government were celebrating a marginal 0.2 percentage-point improvement in GDP at a time businesses are being shut down and jobs disappearing.

The party said millions of Nigerians were sinking deeper into poverty while the ruling party celebrated meaningless mileages.

The party said: “Certainly, a 0.2% growth does not justify the extreme hardship that Nigerians are suffering,” arguing that while the Tinubu government celebrated a marginal improvement of 0.2 percentage points, Nigeria’s poverty rate had snowballed to 63 per cent, affecting an estimated 140 million Nigerians.

The ADC also asked President Tinubu to explain 0.2% GDP growth to the 140 million Nigerians who had been allegedly sunk into poverty since he came to power.

The party said that Uber’s exit after 12 years in Nigeria reflected the increasingly hostile operating environment confronting businesses, particularly the soaring cost of energy and transportation, with the price of fuel rising by as much as 1,700% following the removal of fuel subsidy and devaluation of the naira.

It also cited the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria’s earlier report that 767 manufacturing companies, including 20 iconic global brands, have shut down or ceased operations in Nigeria, while hundreds more are distressed since President Tinubu assumed office in 2024.

MEANWHILE, following its exit from Nigeria, Uber has launched autonomous ride-hailing services in London using artificial intelligence technology developed by British self-driving startup Wayve, marking a major expansion of the company’s robotaxi ambitions in Europe.

The launch came just a day after Uber ended its ride-hailing operations in Nigeria, where it had operated for more than a decade. The company said its decision to leave Nigeria followed a review of its business priorities and investment focus.

The London service, launched yesterday, makes the British capital the second European city after Zagreb, Croatia, where Uber offers autonomous rides.