Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate suspension of the newly introduced cashless payment system at federal airports following widespread complaints of gridlock and missed flights.
The decision was one of the key resolutions reached at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, according to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Keyamo said the President acted out of concern for Nigerians who were stranded due to traffic congestion at airport access gates.
“The President was worried that many Nigerians were missing their flights as a result of the new system. Out of empathy, he directed that the ministry immediately suspend the current arrangement,” Keyamo said.
He added that Tinubu ordered the ministry to revert to the previous system while efforts are made to improve and perfect the cashless initiative.
“We are to go back to the status quo, suspend the present system, and perfect it as soon as possible before reintroducing it,” he stated.
Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had earlier announced the rollout of a fully cashless and contactless payment system across all airport payment points nationwide.
The initiative, known as the “Go Cashless” system, was designed to deliver faster, safer, and more convenient transactions at airports.
However, on the first day of implementation, motorists reportedly trooped to airport gates to register for the new payment cards, resulting in heavy traffic build-up.
In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) page, FAAN acknowledged the congestion and appealed for patience from airport users.
“Despite the wide publicity, notices, and repeated announcements issued ahead of the commencement date, a significant number of motorists opted to register for their Go Cashless cards at the gates this morning,” the Authority stated.
“This understandably created pressure on the toll lanes and resulted in temporary gridlock.”
FAAN maintained that it had anticipated initial adjustment challenges but had provided ample notice to encourage early registration.
To ease the situation, the Authority said it deployed additional personnel to access gates, increased registration points to fast-track card issuance, and enhanced on-ground coordination to improve traffic flow.
The suspension is expected to provide immediate relief to airport users while authorities fine-tune the system for smoother implementation in the future.
