President Bola Tinubu has ordered the suspension of the cashless payment system recently introduced at airports nationwide, citing the hardship and traffic congestion that have trailed its implementation.
This was announced by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in Abuja.
TheFact Daily noted that the cashless system which was introduced less than two weeks ago at airport access gates, was aimed at eliminating cash transactions, blocking revenue leakages and improving transparency in collections.
However, the rollout triggered severe gridlock at major airports, with passengers reportedly missing flights due to delays at entry points.
Minister Keyamo said the President expressed concern over the welfare of Nigerians affected by the development and directed that the system be suspended immediately.
He noted that while the reform was designed to modernise revenue collection practices that have been in place for over 50 years, its operational challenges made urgent intervention necessary.
According to the minister, Tinubu instructed the ministry to revert to the previous arrangement pending a comprehensive review of the framework.
He added that the President directed officials to “go back to the drawing board” and develop a seamless payment mechanism that would not disrupt passenger movement.
Keyamo further revealed that the Federal Government is considering engaging private sector partners to help design and implement a more efficient electronic platform capable of ensuring transparency without causing bottlenecks at airport gates.
The minister assured that the review would be concluded within a short time, in line with the President’s instruction to report back promptly with a workable solution.
