President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the cashless payment system recently introduced at federal airports across Nigeria.
The directive was one of the key resolutions reached during the latest meeting of the Federal Executive Council held on Wednesday.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said the President took the decision after observing that the system had caused significant inconvenience to airport users, with many Nigerians reportedly missing their flights.
According to Keyamo, the President expressed concern about the hardship the policy had created and directed the ministry to suspend the current arrangement with immediate effect.
He explained that Tinubu asked the aviation authorities to temporarily return to the previous payment system while improvements are made to ensure smoother implementation in the future.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria had earlier announced plans to implement a fully cashless and contactless payment system at all airport payment points nationwide.
In a statement released on March 28, 2026, the authority said the system was designed to enable faster, safer, and more convenient transactions for motorists and airport users.
However, shortly after the rollout, heavy traffic was reported at airport access gates as many motorists attempted to register for the required “Go Cashless” cards on arrival.
FAAN acknowledged the congestion and appealed for patience from airport users, explaining that despite prior announcements and public notices, many motorists still chose to complete registration at the gates.
The agency said the situation placed unexpected pressure on toll lanes and led to temporary gridlock at several airport entry points.
To ease the situation, FAAN deployed additional personnel to access gates, increased the number of registration points, and enhanced coordination on the ground to improve traffic flow.
Despite those measures, the Federal Government has now halted the system pending further improvements.
