Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the cashless payment system recently introduced at Nigeria’s federal airports following widespread complaints of congestion and missed flights.
The directive was announced on Wednesday after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council, according to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
Keyamo said the President intervened after reports that the system created heavy traffic around airport gates, leaving many travellers stranded and unable to catch their flights.
According to the minister, the President expressed concern about the hardship faced by airport users and ordered that the system be halted immediately while authorities review and improve its implementation.
He explained that the decision was taken out of empathy for Nigerians who had been affected by long queues and delays caused by the payment process.
The President also directed the aviation ministry to revert to the previous payment arrangement temporarily until the cashless system could be properly refined and reintroduced.
The cashless initiative was introduced by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) as part of efforts to modernise payment systems across airport facilities.
Under the programme, motorists and airport users were required to make payments using the “Go Cashless Card,” a contactless system designed to speed up transactions and reduce the handling of cash at airport gates.
FAAN had said the system would make airport payments faster, safer, and more convenient for users nationwide.
However, the rollout quickly ran into difficulties as many motorists attempted to register for the Go Cashless card at airport entry points instead of completing registration earlier.
This caused severe traffic build-up at access gates, with travellers complaining about long delays and missed flights.
FAAN acknowledged the initial challenges and deployed additional personnel and registration centres to manage the congestion, but the situation continued to generate public criticism.
The latest directive from the President means the system would remain suspended until authorities resolve the operational issues and ensure a smoother implementation.
