“Half Our Revenue Lost to ‘Big Men’ in Abuja” – Keyamo Ends VIP Privileges at Airport Tollgates

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has announced the immediate end of VIP privileges at airport access tollgates as part of efforts to enforce a cashless payment system and stop revenue losses.

Speaking during an on-site inspection of the hybrid payment system at the tollgate of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Keyamo said the practice of allowing influential individuals to bypass toll payments had significantly reduced government earnings.

According to the minister, nearly half of the revenue generated at airport tollgates is lost because of VIP waivers granted to government officials and politically connected individuals.

“We must not do VIP here again because half of our revenue goes to VIP. Everybody is a big man in Abuja, that’s the problem. There’s hardly anybody you see in Abuja who doesn’t have FG printed on their business card, whether SA, SSA, or SSTTA,” Keyamo said.

He reiterated that the federal government would not reverse the transition to a cashless system for toll collections, noting that there is a standing directive prohibiting federal agencies from collecting cash.

“There is no going back on the cashless system. For those who think they can frustrate the cashless system because they prefer the traditional cash collection method, we have passed that stage,” he stated.

The minister explained that the current hybrid payment arrangement is only temporary and would soon give way to a fully cashless system across airport tollgates nationwide.

Keyamo also revealed that President Bola Tinubu had given him a strict deadline to complete the transition.

“In fact, at the last Federal Executive Council meeting, Mr President gave me a deadline. He was very clear that I had a deadline. He said, Minister of Aviation, you have a deadline to go fully cashless,” he said.

The minister warned officials responsible for implementing the policy that failure to meet the deadline could lead to disciplinary action.

“Before Mr President sacks me, I will sack other people too,” he said, adding that he is now taking direct control of the implementation process.

Keyamo noted that while the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had previously been responsible for managing the rollout, he would now personally oversee the system to ensure full compliance.

He added that the inspection at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport was part of efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of the hybrid system before transitioning completely to cashless payments.