Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the recently introduced cashless payment system at airport toll gates across Nigeria following widespread complaints of severe traffic congestion and missed flights by travellers.
The directive was announced by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Keyamo, the President intervened after reports emerged that the new electronic payment system had caused long queues at several airport entry points, particularly in Lagos and Abuja, leaving many passengers stranded and forcing some to miss scheduled flights.
The cashless policy was introduced by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on March 1, 2026, as part of efforts to modernise airport operations, improve transparency and curb revenue leakages at toll gates, car parks and other service points.
However, the transition created significant challenges for motorists who had not obtained the required prepaid “Go Cashless” cards or experienced delays while attempting to complete transactions through point-of-sale terminals at the toll gates.
The situation resulted in heavy congestion on access roads leading to airport terminals nationwide, prompting urgent intervention by the federal government.
Following the suspension, authorities have been directed to temporarily revert to the previous payment system while work continues on improving the electronic payment framework.
Officials indicated that an interim hybrid system may be introduced, allowing both cash payments and the use of prepaid cards that have already been issued to motorists.
Keyamo also revealed that the government may engage private sector partners to help design a more efficient digital payment platform capable of achieving the original objective of eliminating cash transactions without disrupting airport traffic.
The decision represents a swift policy reversal only days after the nationwide rollout of the system, underscoring the complexities involved in implementing large-scale digital reforms in critical sectors such as aviation.