Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the cashless payment system at federal airports across Nigeria.
The directive followed complaints from passengers who missed flights due to traffic delays at airport gates.
The decision emerged during a meeting of the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday.
Government Reacts to Passenger Complaints
Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, announced the decision.
He said the President showed concern after learning that the system caused heavy gridlock at airport access points.
Keyamo explained that many Nigerians missed their flights because of delays at payment points.
He said the President directed the ministry to suspend the system immediately.
Tinubu also ordered authorities to return to the previous system while officials improve the cashless platform.
Earlier, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria introduced a fully cashless and contactless payment system across airport gates.
The system, known as the Go Cashless Card, aimed to make airport transactions faster and safer.
FAAN said the policy would allow users to complete payments quickly without using physical cash.
Registration Delays Caused Traffic Gridlock
Despite earlier announcements, many motorists tried to register for the Go Cashless cards at airport gates on the first day.
FAAN said the late registrations created pressure on toll lanes and caused temporary traffic congestion.
The agency said it had issued several notices before launching the system.
To reduce congestion, FAAN deployed additional staff to access gates.
The authority also increased registration points to speed up card issuance for new users.
Officials said they improved coordination on the ground to manage traffic flow.
However, the government has now suspended the system while authorities review and improve its implementation.
