The federal government says there is no going back on the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria's (FAAN) cashless policy across major airports in Nigeria.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this on Friday during his on-the-spot assessment at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, following the implementation of the hybrid system to enable cashless and cash transactions at toll points leading to Nigeria's airports.
On Wednesday, March 4, President Bola Tinubu ordered the suspension of the strict application of the cashless system after it caused traffic on Airport roads.
According to Keyamo, the hybrid arrangement is only a temporary measure designed to ease airport users into the cashless regime.
"We decided to go back to the drawing boards to see what we can do for now," he said.
"One, to still make sure we collect revenue. And secondly, to ensure that we ease the traffic.
"And that is why we came up with this hybrid system now. So for those who have bought the cards before, the cashless cards, once they buy the cards, it goes straight into the TSA, the federation account
"Those people still have their cards to use. For those who have not bought and who are not accustomed to the new system, we will allow a very minimal number of people to still use cash until we fully migrate to the cashless system."
The minister warned that the system would not last for long, stressing that the government is determined to move swiftly to a fully cashless toll collection process in order to eliminate revenue leakages and improve transparency.
Keyamo noted that corruption and manual interference had significantly hampered revenue generation at airport toll gates, making the transition to an automated system necessary.
He further explained that the federal government was working closely with concessionaires to ensure that toll gates at airports become fully automated and electronically driven, removing all forms of human interference in the payment process.
The minister directed that motorists who pay with cards or other electronic means should enjoy a cheaper toll rate as an incentive.
He also ordered the immediate abolition of the VIP toll lane, insisting that all airport users must pay the required toll regardless of their status.
