Passengers and motorists were stranded for hours on Sunday as confusion and heavy traffic gridlock trailed the enforcement of a cashless toll payment system introduced by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at major airports in Lagos and Abuja.

The new policy, which took effect on March 1, 2026, officially bars cash payments at airport toll gates, mandating motorists to make use of prepaid access cards or electronic payment channels before gaining entry.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, vehicles formed long queues stretching from the toll gate area toward Oshodi and other adjoining access roads, leaving many travellers stranded and visibly agitated.

Drivers scrambled to obtain the newly introduced prepaid cards, while some parked by the roadside to complete registration processes, scan QR codes and load funds onto their cards.

A similar situation was reported at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, where frustrated passengers complained of delayed pickups and missed flights.

Motorists who arrived unaware of the strict enforcement were reportedly turned back at the toll gates and directed to designated registration points to obtain the access cards before proceeding.

Recall that FAAN had earlier announced the transition to a cashless regime as part of measures to curb revenue leakages and align with the Federal Government’s directive on electronic revenue collection across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The authority had also published designated access points for motorists to obtain the new payment cards ahead of the implementation date.

However, Sunday’s rollout appeared to have caught many airport users unprepared, leading to last-minute registrations that significantly slowed down traffic flow.

Under the new system, the access card is issued free of charge, but users are required to load a minimum amount, typically ₦1,000 or ₦2,000, to activate it. A ₦500 maintenance charge is deducted upon loading.

Although Point of Sale payments are also accepted, officials admitted that POS transactions take longer and could delay traffic compared to the tap-and-go card system.

One frustrated passenger at Abuja Airport faulted the sudden enforcement, noting that the policy should have been implemented gradually.

A cab driver, Musa Bello, narrated how the congestion almost cost his passenger a scheduled trip.

“My passenger had to pay a bike man ₦5,000 just to get to the airport because he was about to miss his flight,” he said.

Many motorists argued that although the policy may be laudable, the immediate full enforcement without sufficient public sensitisation contributed to the chaos witnessed on Sunday.

FAAN Blames Last-Minute Compliance
Reacting to the development, FAAN’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, attributed the congestion to last-minute compliance by motorists.

He said, “We publicised the cashless policy, but many people waited until today to get their cards. Nobody is allowed to pay cash anymore, so that created the initial rush.”

He further explained that the aim of the policy is to eliminate cash transactions at the toll gates entirely.

“So, nobody passed through the toll gate and paid cash. So, this led to some traffic jams. And so, a lot of people started registering to get a card. The cards are available, and it’s very easy to access. So, when you get a card, you can just scan the QR code. So, it takes you to go cashless at faan.gov.ng. You now register. You can upload a payment.

“You know, you can just load your card with like 2,000 Naira, and that can take you through quite a couple of times before you load again. So, the idea is just to block leakages and align with the federal government directive to ensure that revenues are collected through cashless means.

“We’ve been appealing to them. We had to even give a notice to appeal to people and reiterate the need for the cashless. So, we have something out there,” Agbebire noted.

Despite the initial hiccups, FAAN maintained that the cashless toll payment system is now fully operational at the nation’s busiest airports and urged frequent users to obtain and preload their cards ahead of travel.

The authority stressed that compliance would ease traffic congestion in the long run and ensure seamless access to airport facilities.

On Sunday evening, many travellers were still counting their losses after spending hours in traffic, a development that has once again raised concerns over the implementation of public sector reforms without adequate transition measures.