The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing a cashless payment system across all revenue points at the nation’s airports, with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, declaring that the policy will be fully implemented despite temporary setbacks.

Keyamo made the position known on Friday during an on-the-spot assessment of the hybrid payment system currently operating at the tollgate of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The minister explained that the hybrid arrangement, which allows both cash and electronic payments, is only a temporary measure following the earlier suspension of the cashless policy by President Bola Tinubu.

According to him, the federal government has already set a deadline for a complete transition to an automated, cashless system across airport facilities.

“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. 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,” he said.

The minister revealed that the directive to fully automate payments was reinforced during the last Federal Executive Council meeting, where the President gave him a timeline to deliver the policy.

READ ALSO: Tinubu Orders Immediate Suspension Of Airport Toll Cashless Policy

“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. 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.

“Before Mr. President sacks me, I will sack other people too. I will sack other people too. 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.

“I would not leave my fate in the hands of any other person and that is why I am here today to take my own fate into my hands and see how they are implementing the hybrid system but this will not last.”

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Keyamo also disclosed that the government is engaging concessionaires to deploy a fully automated payment system aimed at eliminating revenue leakages.

“We are discussing with concessionaires who will come and make it fully automated and electronic because the current system breeds corruption and I will not allow us to continue to collect cash,” he said.

“In the last 50 years, FAAN has been collecting cash in all their points and people are used to that corrupt system but I will not allow it to continue.

“We have set up a sub-committee to take presentations from so many concessionaires and before long, I will be back again to FEC and to Mr. President to approve a business case.”

To encourage compliance, the minister said he had directed officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to make electronic payment options cheaper than cash transactions.

“Another incentive that I’m directing them to do now is that for people to have the incentive to buy the cards, make it cheaper than cash,” he said.

Keyamo further stated that the automated system would end the long-standing practice of VIP waivers, which he said had significantly reduced airport revenues.

“It was out of frustration that I took a memo to council in 2024 to say we must not do VIP here again because half of our revenue goes to VIP that just pass without paying. Ministers like us, National Assembly members, members of all kinds of agencies, everybody is a big man in Abuja, and in Nigeria,” he said.

“Everybody is a big man in Abuja, and I said no, we can’t do that. So as it is today, in fact, that memo will not be necessary again to say separate VIP from so-called ordinary people because everybody will have to be interacting with the machine.

“Just talk to the machine, whether you are a big man or not, pay. Pay the machine. If you don’t pay, the machine will not allow you to pass.”