Breaking: Tinubu suspends Airport Toll Cashless policy over massive gridlock

President Bola Tinubu has swiftly suspended the recently introduced cashless payment system at airport toll gates nationwide, prioritizing passenger welfare and ending days of crippling gridlock that left countless travelers missing flights and enduring hours-long delays.

The decision, announced by Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo following Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, marks a rapid policy reversal just days after the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) fully enforced the “Operation Go Cashless” initiative on March 1, 2026.

The move aimed to curb decades-old revenue leakages, fraud, and under-remittance in cash collections at toll gates, parking lots, and other airport points, but its rushed rollout triggered widespread chaos instead.

Keyamo emphasized that President Tinubu acted out of deep concern for ordinary Nigerians.

“Mr. President was very concerned about the welfare of Nigerians and the fact that most Nigerians were losing their flights, missing their flights,” the minister stated.

“So Mr. President, out of empathy, directed today that we should suspend the present system because it creates a lot of gridlock, and Nigerians are suffering as a result of it,” he added.

The suspension targets the severe bottlenecks at major hubs like Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport and Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, where access roads became paralyzed.

Social media videos and reports showed queues stretching kilometres, with motorists struggling to obtain or use prepaid FAAN cards or electronic platforms. Many passengers, forced to arrive hours early to compensate, still missed domestic and connecting flights amid the mayhem.

 Keyamo clarified that the return to cash is not an endorsement of the old system but a necessary stopgap.

“The major reason why Mr. President took this decision is to eliminate the present gridlock… not that the President is happy with the cash system,” he noted.

Looking ahead, he said Tinubu has directed the ministry to urgently refine the electronic framework.

 “We should go back and, if possible, even engage the private sector to ensure that we establish an electronic system that will not create the gridlock that we are having right now,” Keyamo said.