The first day of Nigeria’s new cashless airport payment system did not go as planned at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Passengers travelling through the airport on Sunday March 1, 2026 were met with scenes of gridlock, frustration and missed flights as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria officially launched its Go Cashless programme.
Traffic at the airport came to a complete standstill, with queues at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. Passengers vented their frustration, with one user urging the aviation minister to intervene and warning that commuters were missing their flights as a direct result of the confusion at the gates.
Under the new system, airport users are required to obtain a dedicated FAAN electronic payment card which must be registered, funded and scanned at entry points.
FAAN did not deny the chaos but placed the blame squarely on motorists, saying that despite wide publicity and repeated announcements issued ahead of the commencement date, a significant number of motorists chose to register for their Go Cashless cards at the gates on the morning of the launch rather than doing so in advance. The authority described the gridlock as a temporary pressure on toll lanes caused by last minute registrations.
On the ground however the picture was different. Many motorists said they were either unaware the policy would take effect specifically at the entrance gates or had not managed to obtain the required card before arriving. One affected motorist, summed up the confusion, in his words “I have been plying this route every day and I heard about the cashless policy, but I didn’t know it would start from the entrance gate,” he said.
FAAN said it had deployed additional staff, expanded registration centres and strengthened physical coordination to ease congestion and restore smoother traffic flow at the airport.
The Go Cashless initiative, developed in partnership with financial technology company Paystack, prohibits cash payments at airport access gates, car parks and executive lounges. Enforcement had remained largely inactive until February, when FAAN announced that the Federal Government had resolved to fully activate the cashless policy from March 1, 2026, as part of efforts to block revenue leakages at Nigeria’s airports.
Motorists yet to obtain their Go Cashless cards are advised to do so at FAAN commercial offices, airport access gates or participating bank branches before their next visit to the airport.
