The Federal Government has reaffirmed its decision to end cash collections at Nigerian airports, with Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announcing that the first week of implementation of the new cashless system will be reviewed. The move is aimed at eliminating corruption, improving transparency, and boosting revenue generation across airport payment points nationwide.
Keyamo disclosed this via X stating that he and his team would assess the effectiveness of the system introduced at all airport payment points across the country. The review, according to him, will help determine how the policy is functioning and what adjustments may be required to improve efficiency.
“By the end of this week, I, along with my team, will be reviewing the first one week of our going cashless at all our payment points at airports across the country in order to eliminate corruption and optimise revenue.
We will surely improve the efficiency of the new system as time progresses by developing new ideas, but this government is determined to end the practice of collecting cash at our gates. Kindly bear with us, please.”
The policy aligns with broader reforms introduced by the Federal Government to digitise revenue collection systems and reduce leakages associated with manual cash handling.
The development follows an earlier directive by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), which announced that cash would no longer be accepted at its pay points effective March 1, 2026.
In a statement issued on February 27, FAAN said the ban covers access gates, car parks, and executive lounges at all FAAN-controlled airports nationwide.
“In line with the directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria, effective March 1st, 2026, cash will no longer be accepted at any FAAN pay point. That means at all our international and local airports from access gates to car parks, and executive lounge entries every transaction must be digital,” the statement read in part.
FAAN explained that the decision forms part of its “Go Cashless” initiative, designed to make airport transactions faster, safer, and fully digital. The authority also advised passengers to obtain their access cards at gates and lounges to use the “Tap and Go” system for quicker payments and reduced queues.
Ademide Adebayo
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