Passengers Stranded As FAAN Enforces Cashless Toll Policy At Lagos, Abuja Airports

Passengers Stranded As FAAN Enforces Cashless Toll Policy At Lagos, Abuja Airports
Motorists faced gridlock over last minute registration.
Authority blames congestion on delayed compliance.

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

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the new policy, which took effect on March 1, 2026, barred cash payments at airport toll gates. Motorists are now required to use prepaid access cards or approved electronic payment channels before gaining entry.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, long queues stretched from the toll gate toward Oshodi and adjoining roads. Many travellers were left agitated as drivers struggled to obtain the newly introduced prepaid cards. Some motorists parked along the roadside to complete registration, scan QR codes and load funds.

A similar situation played out at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, where passengers reported delayed pickups and missed flights. Motorists unaware of the strict enforcement were turned back and directed to registration points before proceeding.

The authority had earlier announced the transition as part of measures to curb revenue leakages and comply with the Federal Government’s directive on electronic revenue collection across Ministries, Departments and Agencies. However, Sunday’s rollout caught many users unprepared, leading to last minute registrations that worsened traffic.

Under the system, access cards are issued free, but users must load a minimum of ₦1,000 or ₦2,000. A ₦500 maintenance fee is deducted upon loading. Although Point of Sale payments are accepted, officials said they take longer than the tap and go card system.

A cab driver, Musa Bello, said congestion nearly caused his passenger to miss a flight. “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.

Reacting, FAAN’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, blamed the gridlock on last minute compliance.

“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 said.

“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 added.

Passengers Stranded As FAAN Enforces Cashless Toll Policy At Lagos, Abuja Airports

Despite the disruption, FAAN maintained that the cashless toll system is now fully operational and urged frequent airport users to obtain and preload their cards ahead of travel. The authority expressed confidence that compliance would ease congestion and improve efficiency in the long term.