Bola Tinubu Orders Immediate Suspension Of Airport Cashless Payment System
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the recently introduced cashless payment system at airports across Nigeria following complaints of severe congestion and passenger hardship. The directive came barely a week after the system was rolled out, with reports that the new policy had caused long queues and delays at airport gates, leading to many travellers missing their flights. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed the development while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and chaired by President Tinubu. According to Keyamo, the cashless system was initially introduced to curb corruption and improve revenue collection for the Federal Government, replacing a payment process that had existed for more than five decades. However, its implementation created significant operational challenges. “We introduced our toolkits across the country in order to eliminate corruption and optimize revenue for the federal government. You recall that this practice has gone on for more than 50 years. “With the introduction of the cashless system less than two weeks ago, it has created a lot of gridlock across the country. Mr. President was very concerned about the welfare of Nigerians and the fact that most Nigerians were losing or missing their flights. “And 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.” The minister said the president instructed the ministry to temporarily return to the previous payment arrangement while a more effective electronic system is developed. “He directed me to go back to the drawing board. We should revert to the status quo, suspend the present system whereby people have to pay through the various means we introduced at the gates across the country, and then perfect the system properly. “In fact, the President directed me that this should not take too long and that I should get back to him on this issue. “We should go back and, if possible, even engage the private sector to ensure that we establish an electronic system by which we can collect this money at the gates to the extent that it will not create the gridlock we are having right now. “So I am hereby directing, also based on the directive of the President, to suspend the present process. We should go back to the drawing board.” The suspension will remain in effect while authorities work on developing a more efficient and seamless payment system for airport users nationwide.