Micah Jonah, March 6, 2026
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has introduced a temporary hybrid payment system at airport toll gates following a directive by Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ease the implementation of the cashless payment policy at Nigerian airports.
The Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, disclosed the development to journalists in Lagos, stating that the decision was taken after heavy traffic congestion was recorded at airport toll gates during the initial rollout of the cashless system.
According to her, travellers and commuters experienced significant delays at airport entrances when the authority attempted to enforce full digital payment.
She said the President directed the agency to temporarily revert to a hybrid model that allows both digital and cash payments while the system is being improved.
Kuku explained that the arrangement would enable FAAN to continue its digital transformation while ensuring that passengers do not miss flights due to delays at toll gates.
She noted that the payment technology deployed by the authority had a high success rate but required wider user adoption and better public awareness.
According to FAAN, more than 100,000 users have been registered on the payment platform since October 2025, with about 60,000 registrations recorded within the final three days before the initial March 1 deadline for the cashless transition.
The FAAN boss said the temporary hybrid model would allow commuters to continue using digital cards while cash payments would still be accepted during the transition period.
She added that the additional time granted by the presidency would allow the agency to refine the system, improve public awareness and onboard more technology partners to strengthen payment options such as electronic tags and smart cards.
There is currently no new deadline for the complete phase-out of cash payments at airport toll gates, as the presidency has directed the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to ensure the system is fully refined before full implementation.
