Nigeria, July 11 -- The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has defended its decision to increase operational charges for airport taxi operators and maintain its vehicle upgrade policy, following protests by some cab drivers over the directive.

The authority, in a statement on Friday, said the measures were introduced to improve passenger safety, service quality and the overall standard of airport transport services, rather than punish operators.

The clarification comes after some airport cab drivers appealed to the Federal Government to suspend FAAN's requirement that airport taxis should be 2020 model vehicles or newer.

In a video circulated on social media earlier, one of the drivers, speaking in Yoruba, urged President Bol...