President Bola Tinubu. Photo credit: State House
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the cashless payment system recently introduced across federal airports in Nigeria, citing concerns over passenger inconvenience and traffic congestion.
The directive was one of the key decisions reached during Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
Speaking after the meeting, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, explained that the President acted out of concern for Nigerians who were reportedly missing their flights due to operational challenges linked to the new payment structure.
According to Keyamo, the President expressed empathy for affected travelers and instructed the ministry to temporarily halt the system.
He noted that Tinubu directed the ministry to revert to the previous payment arrangement while necessary improvements are made to address the challenges experienced during implementation.
FAAN’s ‘Go Cashless Cards’ Initiative
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had earlier announced plans to introduce a fully cashless and contactless payment system across all airport payment points nationwide.
Under the initiative, tagged ‘Go Cashless Cards’, FAAN said the system would allow users to “enjoy faster, safer, and more convenient transactions at our airports”.
However, shortly after implementation, reports of heavy traffic build-up at airport access gates began to surface, with several motorists and passengers complaining about long queues and delays.
In a statement posted on its X (formerly Twitter) page on Sunday, FAAN addressed the situation:
“Despite the wide publicity, notices, and repeated announcements issued ahead of the commencement date, a significant number of motorists opted to register for their Go Cashless cards at the gates this morning,” the Authority disclosed.
“This understandably created pressure on the toll lanes and resulted in temporary gridlock. While some initial adjustment challenges were anticipated, as with any major system transition, the Authority had provided ample notice to encourage early registration and avoid congestion on day one.
To ease the situation, we have deployed additional personnel to the access gates, increased registration points to fast-track first-time card issuance, enhanced on-ground coordination to improve traffic flow,” FAAN added.
Despite FAAN’s assurance and measures to manage the congestion, the reported delays prompted federal intervention.
With the President’s directive, the Ministry of Aviation is expected to suspend the current cashless arrangement immediately and work toward refining the system before reintroducing it.
The move is aimed at preventing further disruption to airport operations and ensuring that passengers do not miss scheduled flights due to payment-related bottlenecks.
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