(DDM) – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the temporary opening of airport access tollgates following public outrage and confusion triggered by the newly introduced cashless payment policy at major Nigerian airports.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) confirmed that officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria vacated access tollgates at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja shortly after the presidential directive.
The decision followed complaints from travellers and motorists who were caught in heavy traffic congestion while attempting to pay toll fees electronically.
Eyewitnesses said the sudden absence of toll officials allowed vehicles to pass freely through the airport gates without any payment or checks.
A motorist who passed through the Lagos airport tollgate shortly after the announcement expressed surprise at the sudden development.
He explained that when he approached the gate, there were no FAAN officials on ground and the barricades had been opened.
According to him, vehicles were simply driving through the toll point without any form of delay or payment requirement.
Observers noted that the temporary suspension created a rare free flow of traffic at the usually congested entry points.
The directive came after widespread reports that the cashless toll collection system had caused severe gridlock, forcing some travellers to miss scheduled flights.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed that the president intervened after receiving complaints about the suffering experienced by airport users.
Keyamo explained that the president was concerned about the welfare of Nigerians who were trapped in long queues at airport entrances.
He said the directive was motivated by empathy after reports showed that passengers were missing flights because they could not pass through the toll gates quickly.
According to him, the president instructed aviation authorities to halt the current enforcement approach while improvements are made.
However, FAAN later clarified that the cashless policy itself had not been permanently suspended.
The Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, explained that the president only directed the agency to improve its implementation.
She described the intervention as a positive development that would allow the agency to refine the system before fully enforcing it nationwide.
Kuku stated that the agency plans to adopt a hybrid approach combining both cashless and traditional payment methods during the adjustment period.
She added that the temporary arrangement would help reduce operational bottlenecks that triggered the earlier chaos.
The FAAN boss also disclosed that the policy had been under preparation for several months before its initial rollout.
According to her, awareness campaigns began in October 2025 to educate airport users about the transition to electronic toll payments.
The agency worked with the National Orientation Agency to sensitise the public on the benefits of the digital payment system.
She revealed that more than 100,000 airport users had already registered for the cashless toll system before the policy’s implementation.
Out of that figure, about 60,000 registrations reportedly occurred within the final three days leading to the original March 1 deadline.
FAAN also claimed that the system recorded a success rate of about 99 percent for deployed cashless cards.
Despite the agency’s optimism, the initial enforcement exposed several operational challenges, particularly during peak traffic periods.
Airport users complained about delays caused by slow transaction processing and inadequate infrastructure.
The congestion created long queues of vehicles stretching several kilometres outside the airport entrances.
This situation sparked widespread criticism on social media and in mainstream media outlets.
Many Nigerians argued that implementing a fully cashless system without adequate preparation worsened the travel experience.
Some stakeholders within the aviation industry warned that such disruptions could harm Nigeria’s reputation as a regional aviation hub.
The government has insisted that the cashless policy remains an important step toward modernising airport operations.
Authorities believe the system will eventually reduce revenue leakages and improve financial transparency.
The temporary opening of the gates is therefore being treated as a pilot phase designed to gather feedback and correct operational flaws.
Officials say once the necessary improvements are made, the cashless system will be reintroduced more efficiently across Nigerian airports.
Analysts note that the incident highlights the challenges governments face when implementing digital reforms in public infrastructure systems.
For now, airport users are enjoying a brief period of relief as vehicles move freely through toll gates without paying fees.
But the broader debate about digital payments, infrastructure readiness, and policy execution in Nigeria’s aviation sector is likely to continue in the coming months.
