Network Failures Stall Cashless Toll Rollout at Lagos Airport, Passengers Miss Flights

Many passengers travelling to domestic destinations through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, missed flights on Sunday after severe traffic built up around airport toll gates during the first day of a fully cashless access policy.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had announced that cash collection at the toll points would end from February 28, with a Go-Cashless card system taking effect from March 1. On Sunday morning, motorists arriving without the new card were unable to pass quickly through the gate, while others were redirected to card registration points close to the access corridor.

The result was a long queue that stretched from the 7 and 8 bus stop axis along Airport Road through to the toll gate area. Vehicles carrying passengers to the domestic terminal were held in traffic for more than one hour in several cases, according to observations at the scene and accounts from people affected by the delays.

Although FAAN had publicised designated pick-up points for the cards ahead of implementation, many travellers and drivers appeared to begin registration on the day of rollout. At multiple booths, fresh lines formed as applicants attempted to complete registration and payment setup at the same time.

Passengers and motorists also faced technical setbacks at payment points. Card and POS transactions slowed as network instability and server timeouts disrupted processing, worsening congestion during a busy travel period.

“Whenever the gridlock becomes too much, our senior officials will tell us to open the barriers so that people will just go without paying,” a FAAN staff who would not want to be mentioned told BusinessDay.

“People also have to process the payments even if they have the cards. When they get to the gate, whether it is the cashless terminal or the POS, there are a few things that still need to be done. As opposed to cash that was faster where you pay and leave, for this, sometimes network becomes an issue,” the staff explained.

Henry Agbebire, FAAN Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said the cards were available before rollout but many users delayed enrollment until the deadline period. He said that once registered, users can scan a QR code and top up their accounts digitally.

“The cards are available. So when you get a card, you can just scan the QR code. So it takes you to ‘go cashless’ showing a link where you can register and upload payment.

“You can just load your card with maybe N2,000 and that can take you through the gate quite a couple of times before you load again. The idea is just to block leakages and align with the federal government’s directive to ensure that revenues are collected through cashless mode,” Agbebire explained.

He added that designated points exist near the toll area for both incoming and outgoing users, but acknowledged that vehicles parked for registration and delayed POS payments contributed directly to Sunday’s gridlock.