President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday directed the immediate suspension of the cashless payment system recently introduced at airports across the country, citing widespread hardship and traffic congestion caused by the policy.
The directive followed complaints of severe gridlock and passengers missing flights within the roughly one week of the system’s implementation.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed the President’s decision while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to the minister, the President expressed concern over the welfare of Nigerians affected by the new payment process and ordered a return to the previous system pending improvements.
Keyamo explained that the cashless initiative was introduced nationwide to curb corruption and boost revenue generation for the Federal Government, noting that the former practice had been in place for over 50 years.
However, he said the rollout of the new system less than two weeks ago resulted in significant congestion at airport gates, disrupting passenger movement and leading to missed flights.
He said the President, moved by the difficulties faced by travelers, directed the immediate suspension of the current payment arrangement and instructed the ministry to “go back to the drawing board” to develop a more efficient and less stressful system.
The minister added that the President requested a prompt report on progress, stressing that the review process should not take long.
Keyamo further stated that the ministry would consider engaging private sector participants to help design and implement an electronic payment system capable of eliminating bottlenecks while ensuring transparency and optimal revenue collection.
He reiterated that, in compliance with the President’s directive, the existing cashless process at airport gates has been suspended, with authorities reverting to the previous arrangement pending further review.
