The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has apologised to Nigerians following widespread traffic congestion at airport toll gates after the rollout of a nationwide cashless payment system.
He acknowledged that the transition caused inconvenience to motorists and travellers, assuring the public that the disruption was temporary and tied to the full enforcement of an existing policy.
The minister maintained that the reform is intended to improve efficiency, block revenue leakages and modernise airport operations across the country.
Keyamo spoke on Sunday night while receiving the Minister of the Year award at an event organised by Silverbird Communications Ltd at Eko Hotels & Suites in Lagos, where he addressed concerns over the development.
“Today we went cashless. The policy of this government is to eliminate the collection of cash at our toll gates. It has been the law for many years, and we are now fully implementing it,” he said.
Explaining the operational procedure, he added, “When you get to the gate, just press your card and the barrier will open. If you come with cash, you will experience embarrassment because nobody will allow you to pass,” stressing that motorists are required to obtain bank-enabled cards for access.
The cashless directive, which took effect on Sunday, triggered long queues at major airports, with officials attributing the gridlock to last-minute adjustments by drivers adapting to the automated system.
While appealing for cooperation, the minister urged travellers to secure the required payment cards before arriving at airport gates, expressing confidence that compliance would ease the early challenges.
