Nigeria’s airports manager, FAAN, keys into ease of doing business with elimination of cash transactions

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced that it is set to commence a cashless payment system across all airports nationwide. It said the move is being made in order to facilitate easy payment, create wider and more flexible payment options as well as improve speed and convenience of payment.

The move falls in line with the broad framework mapped out by the Presidential Enabling Environment Council (PEBC), a body set up by the Nigerian central government to create an environment for the ease of doing business, and it will ensure convenience and curb corruption, identify car parks and cargo sections at airports.

The cashless transactions system would reduce the cumbersome cash movement as transactions would be made in different ways such as POS, money transfers, adding that Remita agents have also been positioned strategically at various points across the airports, said FAAN’s spokeswoman, Henrietta Yakubu, in Lagos.

“It will help FAAN to eliminate leakages and further increase revenue base of the organisation. No government official will handle cash during transactions when the exercise takes off. We are soliciting the cooperation of all airport users, concessionaires, and the general public to ensure a hitch-free exercise,” Yakubu said.

She explained that it was to ensure that those doing business at the airports were not harassed but furnished accurate information on what and where to pay at every point in time.

The cashless transaction initiative is however recorded to being another achievement coming after the “visa on arrival” programme by the authority.