President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the newly introduced cashless payment system at airport toll gates nationwide following widespread gridlock that left many passengers stranded and missing their scheduled flights.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, after the Federal Executive Council meeting held at the State House in Abuja. According to the minister, the President directed a swift return to the previous system pending the development of a more efficient and seamless payment structure.
Keyamo explained that the President was deeply troubled by reports of passengers losing their flights as a result of the traffic congestion caused by the new system. He said the directive was issued out of concern for the welfare of Nigerians who had been subjected to prolonged delays at airport entry points.
He noted that the overriding objective behind the decision was to dismantle the severe gridlock currently being experienced, particularly at the toll gates leading to the Lagos and Abuja airports. The minister clarified that the suspension should not be interpreted as an endorsement of cash-based collections but rather as a necessary step to immediately ease public suffering and restore order.
The cashless payment system, introduced less than a week ago, was designed to eliminate corruption and improve revenue collection at toll gates managed by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria. For more than five decades, FAAN had relied on cash transactions at airport toll gates, parking facilities, and other revenue collection points across the country.
However, the transition to an electronic system triggered significant operational challenges. Motorists were required to obtain prepaid FAAN cards or make use of designated electronic payment platforms before gaining access to airport premises. The abrupt rollout resulted in bottlenecks, as many drivers struggled to navigate the new procedures, leading to extensive traffic congestion that stretched several kilometres from airport gates.
Passengers took to social media to express frustration, sharing videos and accounts of spending hours trapped in traffic while attempting to reach departure terminals. The situation was particularly acute at the Lagos and Abuja airports, the nation’s busiest aviation hubs, where travellers reportedly began arriving much earlier than usual in an effort to avoid missing flights.
Keyamo disclosed that President Tinubu has instructed the ministry to urgently revisit the framework of the system and refine it to ensure efficiency. He stressed that the President does not want the review process to drag on and expects prompt recommendations.
As an interim measure, the government will implement a hybrid arrangement. This temporary model will allow the collection of cash payments while also honouring FAAN prepaid cards already purchased by motorists. The minister said this approach is intended to stabilise operations while longer-term reforms are being developed.
He further revealed that the Federal Government plans to engage private sector operators to help design and deploy a more robust electronic payment infrastructure. According to him, the President is open to paying commissions if necessary, provided the resulting system eliminates cash handling at toll gates without creating traffic congestion.
FAAN had earlier defended the cashless initiative as part of broader efforts to curb revenue leakages and enhance transparency in toll collections. The authority maintained that the longstanding cash-based model had been susceptible to fraud, diversion, and under-remittance over the years. The electronic system was expected to provide real-time tracking of revenue and close loopholes associated with manual collection.
Despite these intentions, inadequate infrastructure and poor execution undermined the rollout, resulting in operational chaos at key airport entry points.
While no specific timeline has been announced for the reintroduction of an improved cashless system, the minister reiterated that the President wants the matter resolved without delay to prevent a recurrence of the disruptions witnessed in recent days.
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