Passengers travelling through Lagos and Abuja airports on Sunday faced severe delays and missed flights following the full enforcement of the Federal Government’s cashless payment policy at airport toll gates.
The directive, implemented by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, requires motorists to use dedicated electronic payment cards to access airport premises. The rollout led to long queues stretching several kilometres at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Many travellers described chaotic scenes as motorists struggled to register, fund, and activate the FAAN-issued cards at entry points. Some passengers reportedly abandoned their vehicles at the gates in a bid to catch departing flights.
A frequent flyer in Lagos, Adedeji Rilewan, criticised the timing of the enforcement.
“Nobody is against cashless payment, but you don’t introduce a system that prevents people from catching flights. Airports are time-sensitive environments. I had to park my car with my cousins at the gate to be able to catch my flight. As I speak with you now, I am sweating profusely,” he said.
Another passenger, Wale, said he arrived early for his flight but remained stuck at the entrance for over an hour.
“I left home very early, thinking I had enough time for my flight, only to get stuck at the airport gate for over an hour. The payment system was not working smoothly. People were confused, and nobody seemed to know what to do,” he said.
Although FAAN had announced last year that all payments at airport revenue points would become fully electronic from September 2025, enforcement only commenced fully on March 1, 2026. The policy covers access gates, car parks, VIP lounges, and other services, and is aimed at improving transparency and blocking revenue leakages.
FAAN spokesperson, Henry Agbebire, attributed Sunday’s disruption to last-minute compliance by motorists.
“I think what happened was that we tried to publicise this as much as possible, but a lot of people waited till the last minute before getting their cards. The implementation of the cashless programme started today,” he said.
Agbebire explained that motorists were required to obtain free FAAN cards near the toll gates and fund them before use, noting that while POS payments were accepted, they slowed traffic flow.
“We don’t have a problem with cards. We have enough cards for people. The card is free. You only need to load it, maybe N1,000 or N2,000, and you can use it several times before reloading,” he said.
Also reacting, Michael Achimugu of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority expressed optimism that the situation would stabilise once users obtained the cards.
“Due to the new FAAN cashless policy, vehicles passing through the tollgate are enduring some delays in order to get the card. If they do, the traffic situation would only be an inconvenience for today,” he said.
Authorities maintain that the electronic system is necessary to curb corruption and modernise airport operations, though passengers say smoother planning will be crucial to prevent future disruptions.
