President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the recently introduced cashless payment system at Nigerian airports following widespread complaints of traffic gridlock and hardship for air travellers.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the State House, Abuja, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the President.
According to Keyamo, the directive followed reports that the newly introduced system at airport toll gates and payment points caused long queues, leading to many passengers missing their flights.
The cashless system had been introduced by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to eliminate corruption and improve revenue collection, replacing a decades-old practice of cash payments.
“The first one has to do with the present cashless system we introduced at our toll gates across the country in order to eliminate corruption and optimise revenue for the Federal Government,” Keyamo said.
However, he noted that less than a week after implementation, the system began to cause severe congestion around airport access roads, particularly in Lagos and Abuja.
Keyamo said the President became concerned about the impact on travellers and directed that the system be suspended immediately pending improvements.
“Mr President was very concerned about the welfare of Nigerians and the fact that most Nigerians were losing their flights,” he said.
“Out of empathy, he directed today that we should suspend the present system because it creates a lot of gridlock and Nigerians are suffering as a result of it.”
The minister said the government had directed the ministry and FAAN to temporarily revert to the previous payment arrangement while a more efficient electronic solution is developed.
He explained that a hybrid system would be introduced temporarily, allowing both cash payments and the use of prepaid FAAN cards already purchased by some motorists.
“For those who have bought FAAN cards before, we can do a hybrid system whereby we can collect cash temporarily and use the cards they have obtained,” he said.
Keyamo also disclosed that the Federal Government plans to involve private sector partners in designing a more efficient electronic payment platform that would eliminate cash transactions without causing delays.
According to him, the President has directed that the review process should be completed quickly to restore efficiency at airport entry points.
Tinubu, he said, remains committed to a fully electronic revenue collection system but insists that it must not create operational bottlenecks.
“If we have to pay commission, we will bring in private sector participants to help us devise a much more efficient payment system,” the minister said.
Keyamo stressed that the suspension should not be interpreted as a permanent return to cash transactions but a temporary measure to ease the difficulties currently faced by travellers.
He added that the ministry would continue consultations with FAAN while working toward a seamless payment solution for airport users.
