President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday directed the immediate suspension of the newly implemented cashless payment system at all Nigerian airports.
The directive followed widespread reports of extreme traffic gridlock and passenger frustration at airport access points during the system’s first week of operation.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Tinubu at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The minister said the ministry will engage private sector participants to help devise an efficient payment system.
According to the minister, President Tinubu directed that the ministry go back to the drawing board and perfect a system that would not be stressful.
Keyamo added that Mr. President advised him to report back as soon as possible.
His words: “We introduced our toolkits across the country in order to eliminate corruption and optimize revenue for the federal government.
“You recall that this practice has gone on for more than 50 years.
“With the introduction of the cashless system less than two weeks ago, it has created a lot of gridlock across the country.
“Mr. President was very concerned about the welfare of Nigerians and the fact that most Nigerians were losing or missing their flights.
“And so Mr. President, out of empathy, directed today that we should suspend the present system because it creates a lot of gridlock and Nigerians are suffering as a result of it.
“He directed me to go back to the drawing board. We should revert to the status quo, suspend the present system whereby people have to pay through the various means we introduced at the gates across the country, and then perfect the system properly.
“In fact, the President directed me that this should not take too long and that I should get back to him on this issue.
“We should go back and, if possible, even engage the private sector to ensure that we establish an electronic system by which we can collect this money at the gates to the extent that it will not create the gridlock we are having right now.
“So I am hereby directing, also based on the directive of the President, to suspend the present process. We should go back to the drawing board.”
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The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had justified the cashless policy as part of efforts to block revenue leakages and ensure transparency in toll collection, noting that the cash-based system had been prone to fraud and under-remittance over the decades.
The suspended system was expected to provide real-time revenue tracking and eliminate opportunities for diversion by collection agents.
However, the poor implementation and inadequate infrastructure for seamless electronic payments led to operational chaos.
The minister did not provide a specific timeline for when the improved cashless system would be reintroduced, but emphasised that the President wants the issue resolved urgently.
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