Tinubu suspends cashless airport toll system over widespread gridlock

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the newly introduced cashless payment system at airport toll gates nationwide following severe traffic congestion that left many passengers stranded and missing their flights.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced the decision on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja.

According to the minister, the President expressed deep concern over the hardship the policy had caused Nigerians and directed a temporary return to the previous system pending the development of a more efficient solution.

“Mr. President was very concerned about the welfare of Nigerians and the fact that most Nigerians were losing their flights,” Keyamo said.

“Out of empathy, he directed that we suspend the present system because it creates a lot of gridlock, and Nigerians are suffering as a result.”

Keyamo clarified that the suspension was primarily aimed at addressing the heavy traffic congestion recorded at the Lagos and Abuja airport toll gates.

“The major reason why Mr. President took this decision is to eliminate the present gridlock that we are experiencing, especially at both the Lagos and Abuja toll gates leading to the airport,” he explained, adding that the President still supports a cashless framework in principle.

The cashless system, introduced less than a week ago by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), required motorists to obtain prepaid cards or use electronic payment platforms before accessing airport toll gates.

The initiative was designed to curb corruption, block revenue leakages, and enhance transparency in toll collections that had remained cash-based for over five decades.

However, the rollout led to massive traffic build-up on airport access roads, with motorists struggling to navigate the new payment process. Social media was flooded with complaints and videos showing long queues stretching kilometres from the toll gates, particularly in Lagos and Abuja — the country’s busiest airports.

To ease the situation, the minister said the government would implement a temporary hybrid system allowing both cash payments and the continued use of FAAN prepaid cards.

“We are going to do a hybrid system whereby we can collect cash temporarily and, of course, use the cards that they have collected for now,” Keyamo stated.

He further disclosed that the President has directed the ministry to urgently revisit the framework and engage private sector partners to develop a seamless electronic payment system that eliminates cash without disrupting traffic flow.

“Mr. President said if we have to pay commission, we have to pay commission, but we’ll bring in private sector participants to help us devise a much more efficient payment system that will still eliminate cash at the gate,” he added.

Although no specific timeline was given for reintroducing the improved cashless system, Keyamo emphasised that the President expects a swift resolution to prevent a recurrence of the chaos witnessed at the airports.