Nigeria Suspends Airport Cashless Payment Policy After Nationwide Congestion
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of a newly implemented cashless payment policy at Nigeria’s international airports, following severe traffic congestion and operational disruptions at entry points across the country.
The directive, issued on Tuesday, instructs the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to halt enforcement of the policy. A comprehensive review of the operational framework will now be conducted before any reinstatement.
The presidential intervention comes just four days after FAAN began full enforcement of the cashless regime for toll and access payments. The rollout triggered immediate and widespread gridlock at major terminals in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Kano, with queues stretching for kilometres. At Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, vehicles were trapped for hours due to failed electronic transactions, slow network connectivity, and limited payment options. Similar scenes at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos forced security personnel to manually control traffic.
Travellers and airport users attributed the chaos to inadequate digital infrastructure, unreliable network services, and insufficient public awareness campaigns ahead of the change.
According to senior government sources, President Tinubu expressed concern over the hardship imposed on passengers and the potential damage to the sector’s reputation. “The President has ordered immediate suspension. The priority is to restore order and ensure passengers do not miss flights due to administrative bottlenecks,” a official stated.
The suspension will remain active while FAAN reviews the policy. The agency had defended the cashless initiative as a necessary reform to curb revenue leakages, improve transparency, and modernise airport operations in line with global standards. However, industry analysts and stakeholders argue the implementation was rushed without adequate system testing or infrastructure readiness.
“While the objective of revenue reform is commendable, a digital transition without infrastructure readiness can cripple operations,” noted an aviation analyst in Abuja.
The pause highlights the challenge of balancing financial reforms with practical logistics in critical national infrastructure. FAAN is now expected to strengthen digital payment systems and consider a phased reintroduction, aiming to achieve accountability without disrupting travel. The episode underscores the gap between policy intentions and on-ground operational capacity in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
