There was traffic gridlock on Sunday at the access gates of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja.
This development was a result of the commencement of a cashless toll payment system introduced by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at major airports in Lagos and Abuja.
The new policy was announced on September 26, 2025, and took effect on March 1, 2026, which prohibits cash payments at airport toll gates, requiring motorists to use prepaid access cards or electronic payment channels.
With the new policy, the access card is free, but users must load a minimum amount of N1,000 or N2,000 to activate it, and a N500 maintenance fee is deducted upon loading.
According to FAAN, Point of Sale (POS) payments are accepted, but officials added that POS transactions usually delay compared to the prepaid access cards.
Responding to the gridlock on Sunday, FAAN said, “Despite the wide publicity, notices, and repeated announcements issued ahead of the commencement date, a significant number of motorists opted to register for their Go Cashless cards at the gates this morning.
“This understandably created pressure on the toll lanes and resulted in temporary gridlock.
“While some initial adjustment challenges were anticipated, as with any major system transition, the Authority had provided ample notice to encourage early registration and avoid congestion on day one.
“That said, FAAN remains deeply empathetic to the inconvenience experienced.”
In its efforts to ease the situation, FAAN stated it deployed additional officials to the access gates, increased registration points, and improved coordination to improve the flow of traffic at the airport toll gates.
FAAN added, “This transition is designed to deliver long-term benefits—faster processing, improved transparency, reduced cash handling risks, and a more efficient airport environment for all.”