TMSG tackles ADC over Uber’s exit from Nigeria
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Tinubu Media Support Group, TMSG has described the reaction of the African Democratic Congress, ADC to the exit of ride-hailing company, Uber, from Nigeria as “ignorant and embarrassing.”
The group said Uber had clearly stated that its decision to withdraw its ride-hailing operations from Nigeria and Uganda was part of a global restructuring exercise and was not linked to the economic policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration.
In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, on Tuesday, TMSG accused the ADC of politicising a purely business decision in an attempt to discredit the Federal Government.
The group said, “Any Nigerian who has been monitoring the political scene in recent months would have accurately predicted that a rudderless party like the African Democratic Congress would jump on Uber’s exit to mock the ruling All Progressives Congress.
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“This was exactly what it sought to do in the aftermath of the Osun gubernatorial election where it performed woefully by claiming it worked with Governor Adeleke to defeat the APC.
“While Uber had emphasised that it was leaving Nigeria and Uganda owing to its global restructuring that also entailed laying off about 3,300 employees worldwide, ADC opted to describe its exit from Nigeria as a reaction to the economic policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration.”
TMSG accused the opposition party and its supporters of being disconnected from developments in Nigeria’s ride-hailing sector, alleging that Uber had previously experienced challenges involving its riders in the country.
It said, “Like they have done severally, ADC and its media handlers have proved to be out of touch with reality. This may be because these people are not fully on ground or that they are too much in a haste to attack President Tinubu.
“If they were in touch with the reality of ride hailing in the country, they would have better understood the situation or known that Uber had been having issues with its riders in Nigeria.”
The group said it would have been concerned if Uber had attributed its departure to Nigeria’s economic conditions or government policies, warning that such an explanation could have encouraged other ride-hailing firms to leave the country.
According to TMSG, other operators have continued to assure Nigerians that they are prepared to fill any gap created by Uber’s departure.
It added that Uber had also withdrawn its operations from Tanzania and Côte d’Ivoire in the previous year.
TMSG further argued that Uber’s continued interest in the Nigerian market contradicted the ADC’s description of the economy as a “graveyard of businesses.”
The group pointed to Uber’s reported acquisition of a major stake in Spanish startup, Glovo, which operates in Nigeria, as evidence that the company still sees opportunities in the country.
“It is also interesting that as Uber is exiting e-hailing business in the country, it has acquired a major stake in Spanish startup, Glovo, which incidentally lists Nigeria as its fastest-growing market in the world,” the group said.
TMSG also claimed that Glovo had paid its Nigerian partners N71bn over three years, describing the figure as an indication of the opportunities available in the Nigerian market.
The group further cited the planned return of Okin biscuit, whose factory it said had been shut for 17 years, as another indication that businesses were still finding opportunities to invest in Nigeria.
“So while exiting one business, Uber is investing in another one with a major footprint in Nigeria. This clearly proves ADC wrong on the impact of the Tinubu administration on businesses in the country,” TMSG said.
The group consequently criticised the ADC for what it described as an attempt to use Uber’s business decision for political purposes.
“It beggars belief that a party posturing as an alternative to the ruling APC would be so cheap and loose to go to the extent of playing politics with a strictly business decision of a company,” it said.
