Tinubu suspends FAAN airport cashless policy over gridlock, missed flights

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to suspend its newly introduced cashless payment policy at airport gates across the country following widespread traffic congestion and complaints from passengers.

The directive was announced on Wednesday by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Tinubu.

The decision comes barely four days after the policy was rolled out nationwide.

The cashless system, introduced on March 1, required airport users to make payments digitally through “Go Cashless” cards or POS machines for services such as airport access gates, parking, and lounges.

The move was meant to replace over 50 years of cash collection at Nigerian airports.

However, the rollout immediately triggered heavy gridlock at major airports across the country.

Passengers and motorists reported long queues and severe 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 backlash, President Tinubu stepped in and directed the aviation ministry and FAAN leadership to immediately halt the policy pending further review.

According to Keyamo, the president instructed the authorities to rethink the implementation and develop a more passenger-friendly system.

“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 ordered them to “go back to the drawing board” and come up with a solution that balances transparency in revenue generation with convenience for airport users.

The suspension means airport users will temporarily return to the previous payment system while authorities work on improving the cashless model to avoid the disruptions experienced in the past few days.