SaharaReporters reported on Wednesday that the Tinubu-led Nigerian government mandated all the users of federal airports across the country must start paying tolls at airport gates.
Some Lagos State residents have raised the alarm over ongoing racketeering being perpetrated by officials of the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) as they complied with President Bola Tinubu’s order of tolls collection.
SaharaReporters reported on Wednesday that the Tinubu-led Nigerian government mandated all the users of federal airports across the country must start paying tolls at airport gates.
This was part of the approvals given by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the end of its meeting held in Abuja on Monday and Tuesday.
The Special Adviser Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, who made this known in a list of approvals granted by FEC had said that no one, including the President and the Vice President was exempted from the federal airports gates tolls.
Speaking to SaharaReporters on how officials of MMA in Lagos State are complying with this Presidential order, two residents who always commute to the airport said the officials deliberately allow one payment point despite having thousands of cars plying the airport daily.
The residents said the officials did this as a pathway for extortion. He said the officials did not also allow any electronic payment except cash payment.
He said, “The car park is full of cars but the officials are using only one payment point. And they deliberately did not allow you to use POS at the payment point because there is ongoing racketeering between them and the POS operators.”
Another motorist noted, “Even if you want to pay N500, you have to go and collect money from POS. Because they are the ones operating the POS. How can you have one payment point and you have a multitude of cars?”