Federal government has announced that it will abolish the practice of allowing very important persons (VIPs) free access through airport toll gates, citing massive revenue losses caused by the privilege.
Gatekeepers News reports that Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, disclosed the plan during an inspection of the airport access gate system at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Keyamo lamented that the aviation sector loses a large portion of its revenue because many influential individuals bypass the payment system at airport gates.
“We must not do VIP here again because half of our revenue goes to VIP. Everybody is a big man in Abuja,” the minister said while addressing officials during the inspection.
According to him, the government intends to enforce a policy that will require everyone, regardless of status, to pay the prescribed toll before accessing airport facilities.
The move forms part of efforts by the ministry and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to block revenue leakages and improve transparency in toll collection at airports nationwide.
Authorities recently introduced a hybrid payment system at airport gates that allows motorists to pay through electronic channels such as cards or via cash while the system gradually transitions to a fully automated and cashless model.
Keyamo said the government is determined to eliminate manual interference and corruption associated with the old system, stressing that airport users will eventually pay tolls electronically as the country moves toward a fully automated payment process.
The minister also insisted that the era of special treatment at airport toll gates must end, noting that allowing exemptions for powerful individuals has significantly undermined government revenue from airport operations.
