Passengers and drivers encountered extensive delays on Sunday as chaos ensued following the introduction of a cashless toll payment system by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at the major airports in Lagos and Abuja.
This new policy, which came into effect on March 1, 2026, prohibits cash transactions at the airport toll gates. Motorists are now required to utilize prepaid access cards or electronic payment methods.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, long lines of vehicles extended from the toll booth area toward Oshodi and surrounding roads, as numerous drivers hurried to acquire the newly launched cards.
Meanwhile, similar scenarios unfolded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, where frustrated passengers lamented about missed flights and delays in pickups.
Drivers who arrived at the airports without knowledge of the policy's full enforcement were turned away at the toll gates and redirected to designated registration points to obtain their prepaid cards.
FAAN had previously announced that the cashless initiative aims to prevent revenue losses and align with the Federal Government's framework for electronic revenue collection across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
The organization also provided locations for passengers to acquire the new payment cards. However, the abrupt implementation of the policy seemed to leave many airport users unprepared.
The urgent need to register on-site significantly hindered traffic flow, with some drivers temporarily parking to complete forms, scan QR codes, and load funds onto their cards.
Under this new system, access cards are issued at no cost, but users must deposit a minimum of N1,000 or N2,000 to make the card operational. A N500 maintenance fee is deducted from the loaded amount.
Furthermore, FAAN accepts payments via Point of Sale (POS) terminals, although officials acknowledge that such transactions often delay the traffic flow more than the card system.
One exasperated traveler at Abuja Airport suggested that the policy's rollout should have occurred in phases to alleviate the situation's intensity.
A taxi driver at Abuja Airport, Musa Bello, reported that his passenger had to pay a motorcycle operator N5,000 to reach the airport in time to catch a flight.
Henry Agbebire, FAAN's Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, attributed the congestion primarily to late compliance by users. He stated, "We publicized the cashless policy, but many people waited until today to get their cards. No one is permitted to use cash anymore, which resulted in the sudden rush."
FAAN urged frequent travelers to obtain and load their access cards before their trips to avoid similar delays in the future, emphasizing that the cashless system is now fully implemented at the nation’s busiest airports.
"No one was allowed to pay cash at the toll gates, resulting in traffic jams. Consequently, many individuals sought to register for a card. The cards are readily available, and accessing them is straightforward. Once you have the card, you can simply scan the QR code to go cashless at faan.gov.ng. You can then register and upload payments.
"You can easily load your card with N2,000, which can cover multiple trips before needing to reload. This initiative intends to block revenue leakages and comply with the federal government's directive for cashless revenue collection.
"We've been appealing to our users and even issued a notice underscoring the importance of this cashless initiative," he added.
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