Ilorin airport to go cashless soon

…as FAAN deploys e-payment system nationwide
By Matthew Denis
Ilorin International Airport is among 21 airports in the country that will soon go cashless.
This is to enable passengers and other patrons of the airport conduct transaction smoothly without cash.
Speaking on the development, the airport Manager, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdul-Azeez explained that, “This is in tandem with the initiative of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) headquarters to bring about cashless policy in the airport.
“The availability of (Point On Sale) POS at the airport will boost revenue generation for the Federal Government and enhance business activities.”
According to him, the POS equipment will be made available at strategic points within the airport to ease transaction.
On security, Abdul-Azeez stressed that the airport is already equipped with adequate security that will make smooth operations of the programme.
Earlier, the General Manager Corporate Communications FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu said the agency is to go cashless at airports nationwide, with the use electronic payment system for transactions.
She explained that the e-payment option is to enhance the ease of payment, create payment options, and improve the speed and convenience of payments.
“All necessary arrangements had been made for the smooth take-off of the exercise at the about 22 airports across the country.
Yakubu noted that the cashless transactions will reduce the use of cash as transactions will 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.
Yakubu noted that the initiative was designed under the Presidential Enabling Environment Business Council PEBEC to ensure convenience and curb corruption, identifying car parks, cargo section, chartered/unscheduled flights among others will be affected by the introduction.
She said: “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.”
The decision to adopt digital payment was as a result of the success of the Executive Order of the Federal Government in a bid to create enabling business environment in the country especially within the airports as entry points into the country.
She added that the initiative was to ensure that those doing business at the airports were not harassed but furnished with accurate information on what and where to pay at every point in time.
She said visa on arrival, which has commenced at the airport, was part of the Ease of Doing Business, adding that the digital payment was another feat to be achieved.
Yakubu noted that at the end, it will be a win-win for both FAAN and customers, adding that the agency has been repositioned to provide more improved services for customers.