Uber and Bolt drivers in Abuja threaten to strike over airport ban

Uber and Bolt drivers in Abuja have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike over their suspension from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). This was contained in a statement signed by the Acting Chairman of the Abuja Council of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), Evans Agada.

In July, FAAN suspended Uber and Bolt from operating in federal airports. The authority said the suspension was to enforce compliance with its regulatory and operational requirements, stressing that no operator is permitted to carry out commercial activities within FAAN premises without a duly executed agreement.

Read also: FAAN suspends Bolt from airport operations over regulatory issues

This inadvertently means e-hailing drivers can no longer operate in airports like the Abuja airport, and the drivers are demanding to know why their businesses must suffer due to issues concerning the app companies. The union said that drivers are law-abiding and tax-paying citizens of Nigeria who contribute to the economy and government revenue through taxes and other charges associated with their operations. However, when issues affecting their livelihood arise, they often feel that their concerns are not receiving the attention they deserve.

They are therefore demanding urgent clarification from the relevant authorities on the exact reason for the ban on app-based drivers at the airport. They are also demanding to know the authority under which the restriction is being enforced, the conditions required for app-based drivers to legally operate at the airport, and a clear and workable arrangement that will allow drivers to serve airport passengers safely and in an orderly manner.

“We remain committed to dialogue and peaceful engagement. However, if our legitimate concerns continue to be ignored and no clear resolution is provided, the drivers may be left with no option but to consider industrial action, including an indefinite strike, as a last resort,” the union said.

Revisiting the Uber and Bolt suspension

Technext reported last month that the Airport Authority had suspended the operations of Bolt at federal airports for regulatory and operational requirements. The suspension was contained in a letter signed by the Authority’s Director of Commercial and Business Development, Adebola Joy Agunbiade.

“You are hereby directed to cease all commercial operations at all FAAN-managed airports in the country with immediate effect,” the letter reads.

Later that month, in an internal memo signed by the Authority’s General Manager of Commercial Services, U.R. Liman, the authority ordered its operatives to ensure that all operators of Bolt and Uber are suspended from airports until their licence agreements have been finalised and concluded, according to a Business Day report.

Affected airports include Murtala Mohammed in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe in Abuja, Mallam Aminu Kano in Kano, Akanu Ibiam in Enugu and the Port Harcourt airport. However, the Abuja Airport appears to be the one which has always embraced e-hailing operators following inadequacies and association conflicts of the traditional airport taxis. This explains why e-hailing drivers in Abuja have been hit harder than in other places by the FAAN order.

Thus, the union is also calling on the app-based companies operating in Nigeria to take greater responsibility for the drivers who generate their revenue and resolve the ongoing imbroglio, noting that drivers should not be left alone to bear the consequences whenever regulatory or operational disputes arise.

“AUATON is not opposed to regulation. We support proper regulation, safety and order at the airport. What we oppose is unclear restrictions without proper explanation or meaningful engagement with the people directly affected,” the union said.