By Seun Ibiyemi
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the newly introduced cashless payment system at airports following widespread traffic gridlock and delays experienced by travellers across the country.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed the directive after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the president on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja.
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Keyamo said the policy, which was introduced to curb corruption and enhance transparency in revenue collection at airport toll gates, had instead triggered severe congestion and hardship for travellers, particularly at airports in Lagos and Abuja.
“The idea of introducing a cashless system was to eliminate corruption at the airports,” the minister said.
“However, with the introduction of the system, it created a lot of gridlock and Nigerians have been suffering because of the delays.”
According to him, President Tinubu directed an immediate return to the previous payment arrangement pending necessary improvements to the platform.
“Mr President directed that we should suspend the present system because it creates a lot of gridlock,” Keyamo stated.
“He said we should go back to status quo and then perfect the system properly.”
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The minister added that the president ordered an expedited review of the electronic payment platform, with a mandate to engage the private sector in developing a seamless system that would eliminate delays while maintaining transparency.
“The President said we should engage the private sector and develop an electronic system that will collect the money seamlessly without causing delays,” he said.
He further assured that consultations would continue with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria on the next steps.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had begun implementing the cashless policy on March 1, barring cash payments at airport toll gates and requiring motorists to use prepaid access cards or electronic channels.
However, the rollout resulted in significant traffic congestion at major airport toll points, with several passengers reportedly missing their flights due to prolonged delays.
