Keyamo to Review Airports’ Cashless Policy, Urges Nigerians to Bear With Authorities

Festus Keyamo Announces Review of Nigeria’s Airport Cashless Payment System to Curb Corruption and Improve Revenue.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Keyamo said the federal
government will improve efficiency of the initiative at airports nationwide.

“By the end of this week, I, along with my team, will be
reviewing the first one week of our going cashless at all our payment points at
airports across the country in order to eliminate corruption and optimise
revenue,” the minister said.

“We will surely improve the efficiency of the new system as
time progresses by developing new ideas, but this government is determined to
end the practice of collecting cash at our gates. Kindly bear with us, please.”

On March 1, Nigerians reported gridlocks at the access gates
of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos and the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja, following the enforcement of the
cashless policy.

The traffic congestion occurred as the Federal Airports
Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) officially commenced its go-cashless programme at
airport toll gates.

In a statement on Sunday, FAAN acknowledged the build-up but
attributed it largely to late registration by motorists.

Keyamo also apologised to Nigerians over the disruption,
noting that the reform aligns with the federal government’s broader efforts to
enhance transparency and block revenue leakages.

‘WE’VE ONBOARDED 40,000 CARDS’

Speaking on Arise TV on Tuesday, Henry Agbebire, director of
public affairs and consumer protection at FAAN, apologised for the
inconvenience caused to road users and passengers.

Agbebire explained that FAAN began sensitisation for the
cashless programme in October 2025 with the launch of the “go cashless card”.

“Between October last year and 28th of February, we had
onboarded about 30,000 cards. But it looked like a lot of people wait for the
last minute,” he said.

“Then the deadline came, because it is a federal government
directive, 1st of March was a no-go back date. We had to roll out, and the
pressure was heavy. A lot of people on the road that day had not registered.”

The director, however, noted that the situation is
improving.

“We had to mitigate and make effort to ensure that the
pressure right now has reduced a bit. Things got better today, and we are
hoping in a few days to come, things will normalise,” Agbebire said.

“Interestingly, in the last three days, we have onboarded
another 40,000.”

He added that aside from the go-cashless cards — which he
described as the fastest option — motorists can also make payments with their
debit cards, although the process may take slightly longer, and may lead to
traffic build-up.

The spokesperson encouraged airport users to obtain
electronic tags (e-tags), which are valid for one year and allow seamless
access at the gates.

“We also have what we call VIP e-tags for regular vehicles
operating within that area and are registered,” he added.

FAAN had announced the launch of ‘Operation Go Cashless,’
contactless and cashless payment system developed in partnership with Paystack.

The authority, on February 27, said the payment system would
be fully implemented across all airport payment points nationwide from March 1,
2026.

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