Officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) vacated the access tollgate at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, just hours after President Bola Tinubu ordered the suspension of the airport cashless policy.
A motorist who passed through the access gate shortly after the announcement said no FAAN personnel was on ground, while barricades at the toll point had been left open, allowing vehicles to move in and out without any form of payment or checks, reports Daily Trust.
“I’m surprised I passed through the tollgate about 20 minutes ago and no single official of FAAN was on ground. I guess they are restrategising,” the motorist said.
The development followed the federal government’s decision to halt the recently introduced cashless regime at airport tollgates, which had sparked confusion and traffic gridlock at major airports, particularly in Lagos and Abuja.
Eyewitnesses said the sudden absence of officials created a free flow of traffic at the usually busy tollgate, in sharp contrast to the long queues experienced earlier when the policy was being enforced.
As of the time of filing this report, FAAN had yet to issue an official statement clarifying operational directives at the MMIA access gate following the suspension order.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo had announced the directive of the president while briefing state house correspondents after the federal executive council meeting.
“Mr. President was very concerned about the welfare of Nigerians and the fact that most Nigerians were missing their flights.
“So Mr President, out of empathy, directed today that we should suspend the present system because it creates a lot of gridlock and Nigerians are suffering as a result of it”, Keyamo said.
He said the president instructed the ministry and FAAN to revert temporarily to the previous payment arrangement while officials work on a more efficient electronic solution.
