President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to halt its newly implemented cashless payment policy at airport gates across the country, citing massive traffic congestion and passenger concerns.
Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, revealed the decision on Wednesday following a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Tinubu. The ruling comes just four days after the regulation was implemented countrywide.
The cashless system, which went live on March 1, required airport visitors to pay for services like airport entrance gates, parking, and lounges digitally via “Go Cashless” cards or POS machines.
The measure was intended to replace more than 50 years of cash collecting at Nigerian airports.
However, the implementation instantly caused widespread backlog at major airports across the country.
Passengers and cars reported long lines and heavy traffic congestion at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, with many travellers missing their flights due to delays.
Following the public outcry, President Tinubu intervened and asked the aviation ministry and FAAN leadership to immediately suspend the policy until further study.
According to Keyamo, the president directed officials to reconsider the implementation and create a more passenger-friendly approach.
“In the aviation sector, two very important issues arose today. 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.
He added that the president directed them to “go back to the drawing board” and devise a solution that balances transparency in revenue production with ease for airport passengers.
The suspension implies that airport users will temporarily return to the former payment method while officials strive to improve the cashless model to avoid the inconveniences seen in recent days.
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