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Aviation Minister enforces cashless system, bans VIP privileges at airport tollgates
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has ordered the cancellation of special access privileges previously enjoyed by Very Important Persons (VIPs) at airport entry gates as part of the enforcement of the reinstated cashless and hybrid payment system.
Keyamo gave the directive on Friday during an inspection visit to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, where he carried out an on-the-spot assessment of how the newly adopted hybrid payment system is being implemented.
The minister stressed that the federal government remains committed to enforcing the cashless policy introduced by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), adding that authorities will not back down on its full implementation.
“We must not do VIP here again because half of our revenue goes to VIP. Everybody is a big man in Abuja; that’s the problem. There’s hardly anybody you see in Abuja who doesn’t have FG printed on their business card, whether SA, SSA, or SSTTA.
“There is no going back on the cashless system.
“We are going to go cashless. In fact, at the last Federal Executive Council meeting, Mr. President gave me a deadline. He was very clear that I have a deadline. He said, ‘Minister of Aviation, you have a deadline to go fully cashless’, nd the moment Mr. President pushes me, I will also push those under me.
“Before Mr. President sacks me, I will sack other people too. I will sack other people too. Before now, I left implementation fully to FAAN, and the nitty-gritty was worked out by FAAN, but as the minister, I take full responsibility, and I have to take full control.
“I would not leave my fate in the hands of any other person, and that is why I am here today to take my own fate into my hands and see how they are implementing the hybrid system, but this will not last.”
Recall that the Nigerian government had announced the implementation of a cashless payment policy at Nigerian airports from March 1, 2026.
President Bola Tinubu ordered the suspension of the policy after it caused gridlock at the airports.
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