The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has dismissed claims circulating on social media that it directed airport taxi operators to replace their vehicles with 2020 model cars before they can continue operating at Nigerian airports.
Key Highlight:
- FAAN denied claims that airport taxi operators must use 2020 model vehicles.
- The approved minimum vehicle standard remains 2012 models, with compliance extended to October 1, 2026.
- The controversy is linked to the rollout of the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS).
- FAAN said it is not replacing existing airport taxi drivers but integrating qualified operators into the new system.
- Agreements are being finalised to allow Bolt and Uber to operate under the ACHRAMS platform.
The clarification follows a viral video in which some airport cab drivers appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians for intervention, alleging that FAAN had introduced a policy requiring them to purchase vehicles worth between ₦18 million and ₦30 million as part of a new app-based airport taxi system.
In the video, the drivers claimed the authority had made 2020 model vehicles compulsory, describing the requirement as unrealistic amid the country’s economic challenges.
The allegations sparked widespread debate online, with many Nigerians sympathising with the drivers, while others argued that airport transportation services should maintain standards befitting international airports.
Reacting to the controversy, FAAN’s Director of Commercial and Business Development, Adebola Agunbiade, described the claims as false, insisting that the authority never introduced such a policy.
According to her, the protest was linked to resistance by some airport car hire operators who declined to register on the newly introduced Airport Car Hire Rank Management System (ACHRAMS), rather than any directive on vehicle model years.
Agunbiade explained that the drivers seen in the viral video attempted to disrupt the pilot rollout of the digital platform at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and that the incident had nothing to do with a supposed 2020 vehicle requirement.
She clarified that the minimum vehicle standard approved by FAAN is 2012 model vehicles, not 2020 models as widely claimed.
She added that operators had been informed of the 2012 minimum requirement since 2024, with the original compliance deadline of January 1, 2026, later extended to June and subsequently shifted to October 1, 2026, to give more operators enough time to meet the standard.
FAAN also dismissed reports suggesting that about 60 percent of existing airport taxi drivers would be removed to accommodate new operators under the digital system.
Agunbiade stated that the authority’s goal is not to replace existing drivers but to ensure that all operators who meet the required standards are integrated into the new platform.
According to her, almost all airport taxi operators at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport have already been cleared to operate under ACHRAMS, except for two companies whose union allegedly advised them against joining the platform in favour of developing separate applications.
Read also:
- Governor Oborevwori Donates Operational Vehicles To Nigerian Correctional Service
- Businesswoman Sues Police, PSC, Seeks N20bn Over Alleged Harassment
- Police Commence Clampdown On Unregistered Vehicles, defaced Number Plates In Enugu
She noted that many operators outside the union had already embraced the system and were actively participating in its pilot phase.
Addressing concerns raised by e-hailing operators, Agunbiade disclosed that FAAN is currently finalising agreements with Bolt and Uber to integrate their services into ACHRAMS.
She explained that once the agreements are concluded, both ride-hailing companies will continue operating at Nigerian airports under the new digital framework.
However, she noted that until the agreements are completed, e-hailing operators do not have legal approval to pick up passengers from airport terminals, stressing that any temporary restriction is purely a regulatory measure and not an outright ban.
