The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria rolled out an e-tag system for VIP access at airport toll gates in January 2024, at the prompting of Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo. The electronic system replaced informal, manually managed arrangements for expedited access with a standardised, revenue-generating toll process at Nigeria's busiest airports.
Within its first ten months of operation, the e-tag initiative generated roughly N2.8 billion, funds the authority said were directed toward expanding perimeter fencing, upgrading cargo sheds and initiating cybersecurity measures at regional aerodromes. Officials described the scheme as one of several administrative reforms introduced early in Keyamo's tenure aimed at formalising revenue streams that had previously gone uncaptured.
Part of a Broader Efficiency Drive
The e-tag rollout was one of a series of changes Keyamo introduced in his first months in office, following his appointment in August 2023, alongside the relocation of ministry operations to the new international terminal at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos. Officials framed the toll system as a small but symbolically important example of tightening administrative controls across FAAN's operations.
Funding Infrastructure Incrementally
While the sums raised were modest relative to the scale of Nigeria's airport infrastructure needs, the authority pointed to the e-tag revenue as evidence that even administrative reforms with limited fanfare could contribute meaningfully to funding security and infrastructure upgrades without requiring new federal appropriations. The initiative continued running through the rest of 2024 alongside larger-ticket projects such as the reopening of MMIA's international runway and the FAAN headquarters relocation to Lagos.