The FCCPC is probing Uber’s abrupt exit from Nigeria, focusing on unfulfilled customer services and whether the company breached consumer protection obligations.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says it is probing Uber’s abrupt exit from Nigeria, with particular focus on the ride-hailing company’s handling of unfulfilled services to customers.
Speaking to Bloomberg on Sunday, Tunji Bello, chief executive officer of the FCCPC, said officials at the commission would examine the manner of Uber’s departure from the Nigerian market.
“We are looking into the manner of their exit, particularly in respect of unfulfilled services to the customers,” Bello said.
An Abrupt Departure
Uber announced on September 2 that it was winding down operations in Nigeria and Uganda, effective the same day, bringing an end to its 12-year presence in the Nigerian market. The company gave no prior public warning or gradual phase-out period, notifying customers and drivers through brief app notifications and emails on the day services were halted.
“After a thorough review, we have taken the difficult decision to wind down operations in Nigeria and Uganda, effective September 2, 2026. This decision is limited strictly to these two markets and does not impact our operations across the rest of the continent,” the ride-hailing firm said.
Uber has said its Help Centre will remain available until September 23 to assist users with outstanding issues stemming from the shutdown, and has reportedly begun disbursing a ₦40,000 payout to affected drivers.
What the FCCPC Can Do
The FCCPC’s intervention shifts the matter from a corporate exit decision into a consumer protection question, as the regulator seeks to determine whether Uber adequately met its obligations to users before pulling out. Sections 120, 123 and 124 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 give the commission authority to penalise unfair commercial conduct, including abrupt service shutdowns that leave consumers without recourse.
Should the FCCPC find Uber in breach, the commission can impose administrative fines of up to 10 percent of the company’s prior-year turnover in Nigeria, alongside orders compelling full consumer refunds. Uber would retain the right to contest any finding before the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal or the Federal High Court, a process that could stretch well beyond the company’s own September 23 support cutoff.
Rivals Move to Fill the Gap
Following Uber’s exit, rivals including Bolt and inDrive said they were looking to expand their market share by filling the vacuum it left behind.
Uber’s withdrawal also came the same day the company announced it was cutting more than 3,000 jobs worldwide, roughly 10 percent of its workforce, as part of a broader restructuring plan to reduce management layers and refocus spending on its core business. The company has denied any connection between the Nigeria exit and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’s (FAAN) earlier restrictions on e-hailing pickups at Nigerian airports, saying the decision was isolated to Nigeria and Uganda and would not affect its operations elsewhere on the continent, where it continues to run in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.
A History of Friction
Uber’s operations in Nigeria had faced recurring challenges well before the exit, with drivers protesting over fares, commission rates and alleged poor treatment in 2017, 2023 and 2025. Industry watchers also point to broader macroeconomic pressures, a depreciating naira, high inflation, and rising fuel and vehicle maintenance costs, alongside intensifying competition from Bolt and inDrive, as factors that squeezed Uber’s profitability in the market ahead of its withdrawal.
