What exactly is going on at Easy Taxi Nigeria? We are hearing it’s shutting down. The details are sketchy and full of unconfirmed hearsay. We have reached out to AIG executives for comment.
Having said that, a number of things point to the fact that I know for a fact that its last CEO has left. It is also clear for everyone to see that the last time the company’s social profiles were updated was in December 2015. Facebook on the 29th, and Twitter on the 31st.
13 hrs to #2016. Easy Taxi'll be keeping an eye on what's happenings around the world & across Africa. #HappyNewYear pic.twitter.com/OfFt9t7AaY
— Easy Taxi Nigeria (@EasyTaxiNigeria) December 31, 2015
Easy Taxi Nigeria was one of the first of the Rocket Internet horde to launch in Africa in 2013, with Bankole Cardoso at the helm. Bankole quit in January 2015 and was replaced by its newly erstwhile leader, Adaora Asala.
While complete shutdowns of Rocket Internet companies are not strange at the global conglomerate renowned for its operational ruthlessness, the reality is no less jarring for the staff and sectors that are affected when it does happen.
Easy Taxi Nigeria is a subsidiary of Africa Internet Group, in which Rocket Internet is a shareholder, along with MTN, Millicom, and most recently, AXA Insurance. As far as we can tell, the shakeup is contained to Nigeria and hasn’t spread to other Easy Taxi outposts on the continent. Just seven hours ago, the Easy Taxi in Kenya assured a new user via Twitter that they would get a freebie if they keep their eyes peeled.
😀 @DjSwayjulu At the moment no, though be on the look out for our #FreeTaxiHour
— EasyTaxi Kenya (@EasyTaxiKE) February 17, 2016
We will update this story with new information as it comes in.
