Tinubu Summons FAAN Boss After Ordering Immediate Halt to Airport ‘Cashless Chaos’ That Left Travelers Stranded

The Federal Government’s ambitious plan to modernize airport payments has hit a massive roadblock. On Wednesday, March 4, President Bola Tinubu summoned the Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, to the Presidential Villa after taking the decisive step of suspending the controversial “Go Cashless” policy at airport toll gates nationwide.

The high-stakes meeting followed four days of absolute bedlam at Nigeria’s major gateways. Since the policy was fully enforced on March 1, the “State of Harmony” at terminal access roads vanished, replaced by grueling traffic jams that saw some passengers abandoning their cars and taking “okadas” to the airport to avoid missing international connections.

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, speaking after a Federal Executive Council meeting, confirmed that the President’s intervention was a direct response to the suffering of the public. “Mr. President was very concerned about the fact that Nigerians were losing their flights,” Keyamo stated. “While we want to eliminate corruption and optimize revenue, the President has directed that we must prioritize the welfare of the people. Out of empathy, he has ordered an immediate return to the status quo.”

Under the President’s new directive, airport gates will revert to a hybrid arrangement where cash remains an option alongside digital tools. The FAAN boss, who arrived at the Villa late Wednesday afternoon, was reportedly instructed to find a more “people-friendly” alternative.

The President’s message to the aviation leadership was blunt: the goal of blocking revenue leakages must not come at the expense of national productivity. FAAN has now been tasked with engaging the private sector to develop a high-speed electronic solution that works in seconds, rather than the minutes of delay currently caused by POS network failures and card registration bottlenecks. For now, the “Go Cashless” experiment is officially on ice until the system is perfected.