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Jeff Jones Quits as Uber President amid Excavating Crisis
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Report reaching us indicates that Mr Jeff Jones as left Uber Technologies Inc barely seven months after he was hired to help the company soften its often rough image.
In a statement made available to Reuters on Sunday, it was pointed out that Mr Jones claimed he could not continue as president of a business with which he was incompatible.
The ride services firm headquartered in San Francisco quoted Mr Jones in the statement as saying, “I joined Uber because of its mission, and the challenge to build global capabilities that would help the company mature and thrive long term.”
He added that, “It is now clear, however, that the beliefs and approach to leadership that have guided my career are inconsistent with what I saw and experienced at Uber, and I can no longer continue as president of the ride sharing business,” and wished the “thousands of amazing people at the company” well.
Mr Jones’ role was put into question after Uber earlier this month launched a search for a chief operating officer to help run the company alongside Chief Executive Travis Kalanick.
He had been performing some of those COO responsibilities. He joined Uber from Target Corp (TGT.N), where he was chief marketing officer and is credited with modernizing the retailer’s brand.
“We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best,” an Uber spokesman said in an emailed statement.
Uber’s vice president of maps and business platform, Brian McClendon, said separately he plans to leave the company at the end of the month to explore politics.
“I’ll be staying on as an adviser,” McClendon said in a statement to Reuters. “This fall’s election and the current fiscal crisis in Kansas is driving me to more fully participate in our democracy.”
Jones and McClendon are the latest in a string of high-level executives to leave the company.
Last month, engineering executive Amit Singhal was asked to resign due to a sexual harassment allegation stemming from his previous job at Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google.
Earlier this month, Ed Baker, Uber’s vice president of product and growth, and Charlie Miller, Uber’s famed security researcher, departed.
Technology news site Recode first reported Jones’ departure on Sunday.
Uber, while it has long had a reputation as an aggressive and unapologetic startup, has been battered with multiple controversies over the last several weeks that have put Kalanick’s leadership capabilities and the company’s future into question.
A former Uber employee last month published a blog post describing a workplace where sexual harassment was common and went unpunished. The blog post prompted an internal investigation that is being led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
Then, Bloomberg released a video that showed Kalanick berating an Uber driver who had complained about cuts to rates paid to drivers, resulting in Kalanick making a public apology.
And earlier this month Uber confirmed it had used a secret technology program dubbed “Greyball,” which effectively changes the app view for specific riders, to evade authorities in cities where the service has been banned. Uber has since prohibited the use of Greyball to target local regulators.
Uber is also facing a lawsuit from Alphabet Inc’s self-driving car division that accuses it of stealing designs for autonomous car technology known as Lidar. Uber has said the claims are false.
Mr Jones joined Uber in August and was widely expected to be Kalanick’s No. 2. He was tasked with overseeing the bulk of Uber’s global operations, including leading the ride-hailing program, running local Uber services in every city, marketing and customer service, and working with drivers.
The Independent Drivers Guild, an organization that advocates for Uber drivers, on Sunday was critical that Jones “has left the company without making a single improvement to help drivers struggling to make a living,” said Ryan Price, executive director of the guild.
Reuters
By Dipo Olowookere
Residents and motorists plying the Aina Obembe Road in Baruwa, Ipaja, Lagos, may soon heave a sigh of relief as the excruciating traffic gridlock being experienced in the area both day and night may soon be a thing of the past.
This is because the chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA, Mr Lukmon Agbaje, has directed those involved in indiscriminate truck parking along the road to remove the heavy-duty vehicles within one week, threatening to invoke appropriate enforcement measures for noncompliance with this directive.
Speaking during a meeting on Wednesday with the management of SENA Company, which owns the affected trucks, as well as the leadership of Oluwadara CDA and other key stakeholders like the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), at the council’s secretariat, Mr Agbaje frowned at the prolonged inconvenience suffered by the community, stressing that public roads must remain accessible and safe for all users.
He emphasised the need for a collaborative approach in resolving the issue without undermining legitimate business operations, noting that he’s focused on finding a lasting solution to the gridlock experienced between Oluwaga and Aina Obembe, where parked trucks have continued to obstruct traffic, disrupt business activities, and pose safety concerns for residents and motorists.
He tasked the firm and the CDA to jointly identify and implement alternative parking arrangements that would remove all trucks from the affected roads and restore the free flow of traffic.
He declared that, “The welfare of our people remains our highest priority. No individual or corporate organisation should obstruct public infrastructure or create avoidable hardship for residents. We must ensure that economic activities coexist with public safety, order, and convenience.”
The council chief reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to promoting orderly development, ensuring safe and accessible roads, improving traffic management, and creating an environment where businesses can thrive alongside the well-being of residents.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has cut import levies on new and used vehicles by as much as 10 per cent in a move aimed at reducing the cost of vehicle importation, even as it commenced the implementation of a new Green Tax surcharge.
According to an update issued by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday, the import levy on new vehicles has been reduced from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, while the levy on used vehicles has been slashed from 15 per cent to five per cent under the 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures, which took effect on July 1, 2026.
The customs said the policy is designed to ease the cost of vehicle imports while advancing the government’s environmental sustainability objectives through the newly introduced Green Tax.
The implementation also reduces the overall import duty on fully built passenger vehicles from 70 per cent to 40 per cent.
As part of the Green Tax framework, a new environmental surcharge of between two per cent and four per cent will apply to petrol-powered vehicles with engine capacities exceeding 2,000cc. However, mass transit buses, electric vehicles, and passenger cars with engines below 2,000cc are exempt from the surcharge.
Beyond the automobile sector, the fiscal measures also lower import duties on several essential goods. The duty on imported rice has been reduced from 70 per cent to 47.5 per cent, while crude palm oil now attracts a 28.75 per cent duty.
In addition, import duties on agricultural and manufacturing machinery have been completely removed to support local production, while Waste PET has been added to the export prohibition list to encourage domestic recycling.
By Dipo Olowookere
Plans are underway to carry out a comprehensive data capture and registration exercise of all commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators within Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA.
This move, according to the council chairman, Mr Lukmon Agbaje, is part of proactive measures to strengthen the security of lives and property across the Local Council Development Area (LCDA). The exercise, he said, would be executed in partnership with security agencies and transport unions.
On Tuesday, the council chief convened a high-level security meeting with leaders of commercial transport unions and key security stakeholders operating within the area.
Mr Agbaje expressed concern over the increasing influx of commercial motorcycle (Okada) and tricycle (Keke) operators into the LCDA without proper documentation or profiling.
According to him, the absence of reliable records poses significant security challenges and could provide opportunities for criminal elements to infiltrate communities under the guise of commercial transportation.
He stressed that security is best achieved through preventive measures, noting that effective profiling and documentation remain essential tools in safeguarding residents and protecting the council from emerging security threats.
Mr Agbaje disclosed that under the new security framework, all Okada and Keke parks and operational locations across the LCDA would be officially documented, adding that every duly verified operator would receive an official identification jacket bearing a unique coded number to facilitate easy identification and monitoring.
He also said a mandatory guarantor system will be introduced to strengthen accountability, ensuring that every registered rider has a verifiable guarantor who can be contacted whenever necessary.
The chairman noted that these measures are designed not only to improve security coordination but also to protect law-abiding commercial operators and discourage criminal activities within the council.
Leaders of the various transport unions welcomed the initiative, noting that proper documentation will distinguish genuine operators from criminal elements, enhance public confidence, and promote a safer working environment for commercial transporters.
Also, the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) of Ayobo and Ipaja Commands commended the initiative, describing it as a timely and commendable step towards strengthening community policing. They reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to working closely with the council to ensure full compliance and sustain peace and public order.
