Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN has directed the implementation of a hybrid payment system that allows the use of both cash and card payments at all airports access gates to ease payment arrangements. The recently introduced cashless payment options at airport access gates had led to chaos at the airports leading to its suspension.
In a statement, the Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the Honourable Minister, Mr. Tunde Moshood said, “following the earlier suspension of the full cashless Access Gate payment system as directed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, due to the traffic gridlock it created” the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development met with officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and senior officials of the Ministry.
According to the statement, after reviewing the initial implementation and the operational challenges observed, the following decisions were reached:
- The Ministry has resolved to engage concessionaires in order to introduce a fully automated or electronic system at all access gates at our airports in order to fully and eventually eliminate cash payments.
- A hybrid payment system that accommodates both cash and card payments will resume at all airport access gates with effect from Friday, March 13, 2026.
- Motorists who already possess FAAN Go Cashless Cards may continue to use them until further notice.
- Other electronic payment options, including POS terminals and other approved digital channels, will also remain available.
According to the Ministry “members of the public and road users are encouraged to obtain and use the FAAN Go Cashless Card as the Authority continues to enhance and fully optimise the cashless payment system.”
Additionally, “this directive restores the previous access gate payment arrangement whilst the Ministry continues to work on the fully automated or electronic system.”