President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the newly introduced cashless payment system at federal airports across the country.
The directive was among the key decisions reached at Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said the President acted out of concern for Nigerians who were reportedly missing their flights due to congestion linked to the new system.
According to Keyamo, Tinubu felt the rollout had caused unnecessary hardship, with heavy traffic and delays at airport entry points. In response, the President directed the ministry to immediately revert to the previous payment method while efforts are made to properly fine-tune the system before reintroducing it.
‘Go Cashless Cards’ and FAAN’s Rollout
Earlier, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had announced plans to fully automate payments at airport toll gates nationwide through a contactless system tagged “Go Cashless Cards.” The policy, which was publicised on March 28, 2026, was intended to take effect from March 1, 2026.
FAAN had promoted the initiative as a move to make transactions at airports faster, safer and more convenient.
However, the implementation was met with immediate challenges. Long queues formed at access gates as many motorists attempted to register for the cards on the spot, leading to severe traffic build-up.
In a statement shared on its official X (formerly Twitter) page, FAAN explained that despite extensive publicity and repeated reminders before the launch date, a large number of airport users chose to register at the gates on the first day. This unexpected rush, the agency said, placed significant pressure on toll lanes and caused temporary gridlock.
The authority noted that while some teething problems were anticipated with such a major transition, it had taken steps to manage the situation by deploying additional staff, increasing registration points, and improving coordination at access gates to ease traffic flow.
Despite those measures, the mounting complaints and disruptions ultimately prompted presidential intervention, with the government now promising to refine the system before bringing it back.
