Nigeria’s Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has temporarily halted the implementation of a newly introduced cashless payment system at airport toll gates after severe traffic congestion disrupted movement around the Murtala Muhammed International Airport corridor in Lagos.
The digital payment policy, which officially began on March 1, was designed to strengthen accountability in revenue collection and reduce physical cash transactions at airport entry points. However, within days of its rollout, long queues and widespread delays were reported along access roads leading to the airport, prompting complaints from motorists, passengers and other airport users.
By the fourth day of the programme, vehicular movement around the airport axis had gradually begun to improve following the suspension of the system, according to observations reported by Arise News during visits to both the international and domestic terminals.
Travellers and drivers who use the route described the early days of the new policy as highly disruptive, citing confusion over the payment process and lack of prior notice. One road user recounted the difficulties encountered while attempting to enter the airport.
"It's been very inconvenient for passengers or people that are using this route in the past few days because there's been a lot of gridlocks. The reason is because of the authority wanting everybody to go cashless. This is the card they are bending and without this card they they won't collect cash. The conventional way has been we pay and we we pass. But we just discovered there was a total blockage. They said they they're going cashless. So we were forced to go there to register our cars and pay before we can pass. So it caused a lot of inconveniences for some of us people traveling they missed their flight and a lot of inconveniences. In fact, the traffic here yesterday was extremely bad and it affect a lot of business activities at the airport yesterday. No, I don't have the car. The thing was not really introduced to to us. Suddenly they just come came up onto it without any without notice without being heading any meeting with the stakeholder at the airport here. So suddenly suddenly we were not aware."
Another commuter explained that the payment card required under the system was temporarily unusable, adding to the confusion among motorists.
"My experience with the cap that this morning when I get there they're telling me that um I cannot use the card that is the card is not working for now. So, and what I heard that the the card was cancelled for now because of the traffic and some maybe some people complain that so expensive. So, that's how much is it? Um yeah, we paid for car is 1,000 then the jeep is 15 that the toate is 500."
According to Arise News, the disruption prompted a directive from the Presidency ordering the immediate suspension of the policy to ease the difficulties experienced by airport users. Officials said the decision followed widespread reports that travellers were missing scheduled flights due to prolonged delays at the toll gates.
An official involved in the matter stated:
"With the introduction of the cashless system less than a week ago, it's created a lot of gridlock across the country. Mr. president was very concerned about the welfare of Nigerians and the fact that most Nigerians were losing their flights, missing their flights and so Mr. President out of empathy directed today that we should suspend the present system."
Despite the suspension, commuters emphasised the need for better planning and stakeholder engagement before implementing similar policies in the future. Several motorists criticised what they described as a sudden rollout without adequate public awareness.
One driver remarked:
"It's they need to create more awareness because I don't know why we always use fire brigade approach in most of the things we do in Nigeria. If they've sensitized the population long enough to be aware that this kind of operation is going to that will have made people to prepare. Some of us we have appointments that were hard to reschedu and some of them we missed. So many people missed their flight schedule."
Others suggested broader reforms to the management of airport toll operations. Another road user said:
"Also the best thing for federal government I think is to privatize this play because when the the same was being privatized when they were collecting the money by cast so it it doesn't have any effect on individual by then. So and anybody that have interest they can easily sell what is it called like that we are working as an agent here we normally collect sticker and we pay once in a year and then we'll be we'll be moving freely."