The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has dismissed claims circulating on social media that it directed airport taxi operators to replace their vehicles with 2020 model cars before they could continue operating at the nation’s airports.
The clarification came after a viral video showed some airport cab drivers appealing to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians to intervene, alleging that FAAN had introduced a policy compelling them to purchase vehicles valued at between N18m and N30m despite the prevailing economic hardship.
FAAN’s Director of Commercial and Business Development, Adebola Agunbiade, said the claims were false and did not reflect the authority’s policy.
She explained that, contrary to the allegations, FAAN had never directed operators to procure 2020 model vehicles before joining the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System.
Agunbiade disclosed that the vehicle standard had been communicated to operators since 2024, with an initial compliance deadline of January 1, 2026, which was later extended to June before being shifted again to October 1, 2026, to allow more operators sufficient time to comply.
The FAAN director also dismissed reports that the authority planned to remove about 60 per cent of existing airport taxi drivers to make way for new entrants under the digital platform.
she further stated that virtually all existing airport car hire operators at the Murtala Muhammed Airport had already been cleared to operate on the platform, except for two companies whose union allegedly instructed them not to participate in the initiative and instead develop independent applications.
