In a landmark decision, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has ruled that all top government officials, including the President and Vice President, will now be required to pay access fees at federal airports across Nigeria.
The Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Management aims to generate N10 billion from ticket sales, and as a result, has eliminated all previous payment exemptions.
The resolution came at the conclusion of a two-day FEC meeting, chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja’s State House.
Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo (SAN) revealed that there was an initial proposal to maintain toll exemptions for President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, but this was vetoed by the President himself.
Minister Keyamo explained that the decision was informed by a memorandum that highlighted significant financial losses due to these exemptions, with the government missing out on 82 percent of the projected N10 billion revenue from airport tolls.
The FEC has instructed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to issue a service-wide circular announcing the end of these exemptions.
Minister Keyamo affirmed that his ministry will ensure the implementation of this directive.
“How much are we expecting? It runs into billions. We are looking at raising at least N10 billion annually. This is a very big one for us. And we will market the e-tags so that VIPS will buy into it” he said when asked about specifics of projected income from the toll gates.
“No more exemption. When we came to the office, we met a tradition on the ground where at the end of the year, all manners of VIPs would approach us for what they call complimentary e-tags or complimentary stickers. They don’t pay the access fees at airports.
“They don’t pay for parking, they don’t pay for essential services at airports, and they are VIPs. I said not under my watch. It will not happen.
“If this tradition has been existing for years, I will not allow it to happen. Because it is inconceivable that in our country it is the VIPs who don’t pay for services but the poor pay.
“The VIPs were supposed to have money to pay for services, but they compel poor men to pay for services and I said no.
“So, I got my team together. I said we need the backing of the Council to compel everybody.
“Guess what? Our memo exempted the President and the Vice President and the President overruled me and said he and the Vice President will pay. He said everybody must pay.
“Let me give you the shocking statistics. The negative figure that we get at the end of the day from the complimentary e-tags is 82 per cent in the negative.
“In other words, where we are supposed to have 100 per cent from these e-tags that we print, it is only 18 per cent that we now end up selling. That is how bad it is.
“So, imagine the loss in my sector and I ask myself which other sector would I go to that they give me anything free?
“I’ll give another example. In one of the access gates, based on the count of the barrier going up and down, we are supposed to be making N250 or N260 million monthly.
“Because of exemptions, the return is less than N100 million every month. That also, of course, breeds corruption because now you cannot track.
“You cannot have the audit trail of those free tags that our people give out.
“So, it was approved that the SGF should send a system-wide circular to the judiciary, legislature, executive, and military high command.
“They can pay yearly. Buy the yearly tags for all your officers. You have the money. Pay us, so that we can improve our services at the airport.”
