The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has introduced a temporary hybrid payment system at airport toll gates following a directive from President Bola Tinubu to ease the implementation of the cashless policy across the country’s airports.
The Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday in Lagos.
Kuku said the decision followed severe traffic gridlocks recorded at major airport toll points, particularly in Lagos, when the authority attempted to fully transition to digital payments.
According to her, commuters and travellers experienced significant delays at airport entrances during the rollout of the cashless system.
She said the President’s intervention was a major relief for both the travelling public and the aviation industry.
“He saw the traffic gridlock we were having while rolling out the cashless policy and, in his understanding of our environment, directed us to revert temporarily to the status quo using a hybrid approach.
“That is what we are doing now, and it is a win for the industry,” she said.
Kuku explained that the hybrid system would allow FAAN to continue its digital transformation while still accepting cash payments, ensuring that passengers do not miss flights due to delays at the toll gates.
“The President has given us time to go back and refine the process. The technology we deployed actually works, and we already had four payment options available.
“What he asked us to do is refine the system and ensure that we have more users onboarded,” she said.
Kuku noted that many passengers and commuters were unaware that the authority would strictly enforce the 1 March deadline for the transition to cashless toll payments.
She added that between October 2025 and 3 March, FAAN enrolled more than 100,000 users on the platform, with about 60,000 registrations recorded within the three days leading up to the deadline.
“For us, that is already a major milestone,” she said.
According to Kuku, the authority recorded about a 99 per cent success rate with the cashless cards deployed during the rollout.
She explained that the hybrid model would enable users to continue using their payment cards while also allowing cash transactions where necessary.
“At least for now, we can accommodate cash payments while people continue to obtain and activate their cards,” she said.
Kuku acknowledged that the initial rollout lacked a comprehensive pilot phase due to pressure to meet the Federal Government’s deadline.
She said the additional time granted by the Presidency would serve as an extended pilot phase to strengthen public awareness and improve the system.
“This window will help us enhance public enlightenment so commuters are not caught off guard.
“It will also allow us onboard more private technology partners to streamline payment options such as e-tags and smart cards,” she said.
Kuku added that the period would also enable the authority to strengthen checks and balances to prevent revenue leakages when cash transactions are allowed.
She said the aim was to ensure that all payments were properly accounted for and remitted to the Federal Government.
The FAAN boss said there was currently no new deadline for the complete phase-out of cash payments, as the President had directed the Ministry of Aviation to first refine the process and ensure seamless implementation.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that President Tinubu ordered a temporary suspension of the full cashless policy at airports after the 1 March deadline triggered major traffic gridlocks in Lagos and Abuja.
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