Festus Keyamo has reaffirmed that Nigeria’s airports will transition fully to a cashless payment system, saying the federal government has no plans to reverse the policy despite the temporary use of a hybrid payment arrangement.
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The minister made the remarks during an on-the-spot assessment of the hybrid payment system at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport tollgate in Abuja.
Keyamo explained that the current hybrid system, which allows both cash and electronic payments, is only a temporary measure while authorities prepare to move to a fully automated platform.
He emphasised that the government’s goal is to eliminate cash transactions at airport revenue points and directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to ensure digital payments are cheaper than cash transactions in order to encourage adoption.
According to the minister, the policy aligns with a federal government directive requiring government agencies to stop collecting physical cash. He said: “There is no going back on the cashless system. For those who think they can frustrate the cashless system because they prefer the traditional cash collection method, we have passed that stage.”
Keyamo added: “In fact, there is a federal government directive on it saying that no federal agency should ever collect cash. So we have very limited time to do this hybrid system.”
The minister also revealed that Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given him a strict deadline to implement the fully cashless system across airports. He said: “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.”
Keyamo continued: “He said, Minister of Aviation, you have a deadline to go fully cashless and the moment Mr. President pushes me, I will also push those under me.”
He warned that officials responsible for implementing the policy would be held accountable if the transition is delayed. “Before Mr. President sacks me, I will sack other people too,” he said.
The minister noted that although FAAN had previously been responsible for implementing the payment system, he has now taken direct oversight of the process. “Before now, I left implementation fully to FAAN and the nitty-gritties were worked out by FAAN, but as the Minister, I take full responsibility and I have to take full control.”
He concluded by stressing that the hybrid system currently operating at the airport will only remain in place temporarily as the government moves toward a completely digital payment framework across Nigeria’s airport facilities.