President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the immediate suspension of the cashless payment system recently introduced at federal airports following widespread complaints that the policy caused severe traffic congestion and led to passengers missing their flights.
The directive was announced after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, where the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, briefed journalists on the president’s decision.
Keyamo said the president intervened after receiving reports that the new system had created major gridlock at airport access gates, particularly affecting passengers travelling through the country’s busiest airports. According to the minister, the president was concerned about the hardship being experienced by travellers and directed that the system be suspended immediately while authorities work to improve its implementation.
The policy, introduced by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), was designed to replace decades of cash collections at airport toll gates with a fully digital payment process. Under the initiative, motorists and airport users were required to pay access and parking charges through electronic means, including point-of-sale terminals and the FAAN “Go Cashless” card system.
However, the rollout was quickly met with operational challenges as motorists attempted to register for the new cards at airport gates, causing long queues and traffic congestion at entry points to major terminals. The situation reportedly resulted in delays for airport users and several passengers missing scheduled flights.
Explaining the president’s position, Keyamo said the administration remains committed to eliminating cash-based transactions at airports in order to reduce corruption and improve revenue collection. He noted, however, that the transition must not create undue hardship for Nigerians.
The minister said the president directed the aviation ministry to revert temporarily to the previous system while the cashless framework is refined to ensure smoother operations. He added that the government may engage private sector partners to develop a more efficient electronic payment system that can be deployed without causing congestion at airport access points.
The cashless initiative had been announced earlier by FAAN as part of efforts to modernise airport operations and promote faster, safer and more transparent transactions at airport toll gates and parking facilities nationwide. The authority had urged airport users to register for the payment cards ahead of the rollout, but acknowledged that the first days of implementation created significant pressure on toll lanes as many motorists attempted last-minute registration at airport entrances.
With the president’s directive now in effect, the aviation ministry is expected to review the system and develop a revised framework that will allow digital payments to be implemented without disrupting airport access or passenger movement.
