The Nigeria Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a permanent aviation Hall of Fame montage at the Lagos airport terminal.

The agreement marks a major step towards the preservation and promotion of Nigeria’s aviation heritage, with installation of the montage already underway at MMA2.

Under the partnership, the NAHF Montage will serve as a permanent wall of honour featuring photographs, profiles and citations of distinguished Nigerian aviators who have made significant contributions to the development of the country’s aviation industry.

The MoU was signed at the BASL headquarters in Lagos, with the company represented by its Head of Marketing and Creative Services, Ms. Gbubemi Vera Aibangbee, while NAHF was represented by its co-founders, Mr. Wole Shadare and Mr. Gboyega Adeoye.

The montage is scheduled for official unveiling on Friday, September 4, 2026, at MMA2 by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN.

The unveiling will precede the main induction ceremony of the NAHF and the launch of its maiden publication, Aviation Achievers, scheduled to hold at Golfview Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, from 10:00 a.m.

Eighteen distinguished aviators are expected to be inducted at the ceremony, having been selected based on their decades of service, integrity, leadership and contributions to the growth of Nigerian aviation.

Speaking at the MoU signing, Shadare, an aviation journalist and co-founder of NAHF, said the initiative was designed to recognise aviation professionals whose contributions deserved to be preserved for future generations.

“For over 25 years I have reported on this sector and seen many heroes retire without recognition. The Nigeria Aviation Hall of Fame is our way of saying thank you while we are still here to clap for them,” he said.

Adeoye, also a co-founder of NAHF, said the partnership was about preserving history and values while inspiring young Nigerians seeking careers in aviation.

“We are proud that Bi-Courtney shares this vision with us,” he said.

Aibangbee said the location of the montage at MMA2 would expose millions of passengers who pass through the terminal to the contributions of aviation pioneers and professionals.

Under the agreement, BASL will provide the space for the montage as well as security and maintenance, while NAHF will be responsible for content curation, periodic updates and the induction process.

The Nigeria Aviation Hall of Fame is a non-political and non-profit initiative established to recognise excellence, document aviation history and promote mentorship within the Nigerian aviation industry.

 By Henry Agbebire, Director,

Public Affairs & Corporate Protocol, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)

The continuing public conversation around the operations of Uber, Bolt and other e-hailing services at Nigerian airports deserves a little more context and a broader perspective.

Understandably, passengers want convenient, affordable and readily available transportation when they arrive at an airport. E-hailing platforms have transformed urban mobility and have become an important part of the travel experience for many Nigerians. FAAN recognises this.

It is within this wider context that FAAN’s position and its ongoing engagements with the e-hailing operators should be understood. Indeed, the Authority has never been opposed to e-hailing services.

The issue before us is not whether passengers should be able to use Uber, Bolt or other platforms. It is how commercial transportation operates within a highly regulated airport environment. That distinction is important.

 An airport is not an ordinary pick-up point

An airport is a security-sensitive environment where thousands of passengers, employees, vehicles and service providers interact every day.

Consequently, every commercial vehicle operating within the airport environment must be identifiable and accountable. The airport authority needs to know, where necessary, who is operating the vehicle, what vehicle is involved, where passengers are being picked up and how the activity can be tracked if a security or passenger-related incident occurs.

This is not peculiar to Nigeria. Even Uber’s own published guidance recognises that airports operate under specific rules, including designated pick-up locations, staging areas and other airport-specific requirements. The principle is simple: the convenience of digital mobility does not remove the need for airport-specific safety and operational controls.

 The real issue is visibility and accountability

One of the questions that has become somewhat lost in the current debate is what happens when something goes wrong.

If a passenger reports an incident involving a vehicle that picked him or her up at an airport, the relevant question cannot simply be whether the trip was booked through an app. There must also be an operational framework through which the airport authority can establish the identity of the vehicle and driver, the circumstances surrounding the pick-up and the appropriate channel for intervention.

This is why FAAN has been seeking an arrangement that gives the Authority adequate visibility over commercial transportation activities within its airports. It is about accountability. It is about security. And ultimately, it is about the passenger.

 ACHRAMS is not an alternative to Uber or Bolt

There has also been some misunderstanding about FAAN’s Airport Car Hire Rank Management System, ACHRAMS.

ACHRAMS is not FAAN’s attempt to create an alternative e-hailing platform. It was developed to provide greater operational visibility and tracking within the airport environment, while facilitating the accountable management of applicable concession and related airport charges.

The broader objective is to bring greater structure to airport ground transportation and address some of the long-standing challenges associated with unregulated activities, passenger solicitation and touting.

These are not imaginary concerns. FAAN has received complaints from passengers and has observed challenges associated with commercial transportation activities around airport premises.

A modern airport cannot afford to operate without adequate visibility over commercial activities taking place within its environment.

 This is not about protecting one category of taxi from another

It is equally important to dispel the impression that FAAN’s position is designed to protect conventional airport taxis from competition. That is not the issue. FAAN’s concern should be, and is, the standard under which any commercial transportation provider operates within the airport.

Whether the vehicle is an airport taxi, an e-hailing vehicle or any other authorised commercial transport service, the same basic principles should apply: safety, security, identification, accountability, orderly operations and protection of passengers.

Competition is healthy. Passenger choice is important. Innovation is welcome. But none of these should require an airport authority to surrender operational visibility over vehicles and persons operating within its environment.

 What about the concern over fares?

There is understandable concern that when transportation options are temporarily affected, passengers may face higher fares or reduced availability.

FAAN does not dismiss that concern. On the contrary, passenger convenience is an important consideration in resolving the current situation quickly.

But we should be careful not to allow the legitimate concern about fares to obscure the equally legitimate question of safety and security. The answer to a temporary inconvenience should not be to abandon a necessary safety framework. The answer should be to resolve the outstanding issues as quickly as possible so that passengers can enjoy both convenience and protection.

This is precisely why FAAN has continued its engagement with the affected operators.

 The way forward is cooperation

There is little value in turning this into a contest between FAAN and the e-hailing companies. Uber and Bolt have become important parts of the transportation ecosystem, and FAAN recognises the value they bring to passengers.

At the same time, FAAN has a responsibility that cannot be delegated: ensuring that activities within the airport environment are conducted safely, securely and in an orderly manner.

The appropriate solution, therefore, is not confrontation. It is collaboration. The objective is to arrive at an operational framework that allows e-hailing companies to continue providing passengers with convenient transportation while satisfying the airport’s legitimate safety, security, accountability and operational requirements.

That is why the current engagement between FAAN and the operators is important, and why it is in the interest of everyone, particularly passengers, that it is concluded expeditiously.

 Ultimately, the passenger must remain at the centre

The debate should therefore not be framed as FAAN versus Uber or FAAN versus Bolt. It should be about finding the right balance between two things that should never be presented as mutually exclusive: passenger convenience and passenger safety.

FAAN wants passengers to have choices. FAAN wants passengers to have convenient transportation. FAAN wants technology and innovation to thrive within the airport environment. But FAAN must also be able to answer the fundamental safety and security questions that arise whenever commercial vehicles operate within an airport.

That responsibility is not anti-competition. It is not anti-technology. And it is certainly not anti-passenger. It is responsible airport management.

As discussions continue with the relevant operators, FAAN remains committed to achieving a solution that preserves the convenience passengers value while providing the visibility, accountability and security that the airport environment requires.

At the end of the day, the objective is simple: every passenger should be able to leave a Nigerian airport conveniently, confidently and safely.

That is the balance FAAN is seeking, and it is a balance worth achieving.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said it is working with Uber, Bolt and other e-hailing operators to establish a safe and accountable framework for their operations at Nigerian airports, stressing that it has not imposed a blanket ban on the services.

FAAN, in a statement issued on Thursday, said its priority was to protect passengers while ensuring safe, secure and seamless movement within the airport environment.

The clarification followed recent reports and public concerns over the operations of e-hailing services at some Nigerian airports.

According to the Authority, its position is not aimed at restricting passengers’ transportation choices or undermining the convenience provided by platforms such as Uber and Bolt.

Rather, FAAN said all commercial transportation services operating within airport premises must comply with an appropriate operational framework that gives the airport authority visibility over vehicles and drivers and enables effective coordination during security or passenger-related incidents.

“Airports are highly regulated environments,” the Authority said, adding that transportation providers operating within them must be identifiable, accountable and properly integrated into existing operational and security structures.

FAAN said the requirement was particularly important because of the volume of passenger movements at airports and the need to respond effectively to safety and security situations.

The Authority also clarified that its ACHRAMS platform is not an e-hailing application and was not developed to compete with Uber, Bolt or other mobility platforms.

FAAN explained that ACHRAMS was designed primarily to provide operational visibility and tracking within the airport environment, while facilitating the accountable management of applicable concession and related airport charges.

The Authority said it had received complaints and observed operational challenges involving commercial transportation activities around airport premises, including passenger solicitation and touting.

It said these challenges made it necessary to establish a clear framework for managing commercial transportation services at airports.

FAAN disclosed that it had been engaging relevant e-hailing operators to develop a mutually workable arrangement that would recognise the importance of their services while addressing airport-specific requirements relating to safety, security, accountability and passenger experience.

The Authority stressed that the current situation should therefore not be interpreted as a blanket prohibition of e-hailing services.

“Rather, it is part of an ongoing process of operational alignment with the objective of ensuring that e-hailing services can continue to serve passengers within a framework that meets the requirements of the airport,” FAAN said.

The Authority acknowledged the convenience and additional transportation choices provided by Uber, Bolt and similar platforms, noting that it was also aware of the inconvenience passengers might experience while the outstanding operational issues were being resolved.

FAAN said discussions with the affected operators were ongoing and focused on passenger safety and security, operational visibility, accountability and the appropriate management of airport pick-up activities.

The Authority expressed confidence that a mutually acceptable agreement would be reached shortly.

FAAN reiterated that its actions were guided by the need to provide passengers with a safe, secure, orderly and seamless airport experience.

It added that it remained committed to working collaboratively with Uber, Bolt and other mobility providers to ensure that passengers continued to have access to safe and convenient transportation options at Nigerian airports.