Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, disclosed that the Federal Government suffered a significant revenue loss of 82%, amounting to N10 billion, from airport tollgates under old rules.
Addressing State House correspondents after a Federal Executive Council meeting, Keyamo expressed concern over the misuse of complimentary e-tags, revealing that 82% of them were distributed for free to VIPs.
Keyamo stated, “The negative figure that we get at the end of the day from the complimentary e-tags is 82 per cent, in the negative… It is only 18 per cent that we now end up selling.”
He emphasized the unfairness of providing free passage to VIPs, highlighting the substantial financial impact on the aviation sector. Keyamo stressed the need for accountability and fair payment for services rendered.
The minister noted that the policy of exemption had resulted in a loss of billions of naira annually, contributing to the deterioration of airport infrastructure.
To address this issue, the Federal Executive Council decided that the president, vice president, and other top government officials would start paying access fees or using e-tags at all 24 federal airports across the country. Previously, they were exempted from these charges.
Keyamo concluded by illustrating the magnitude of the revenue loss, citing an example where a particular airport gate generated less than N100 million monthly instead of the expected N250-260 million, due to exemptions.
The move aims to curb revenue losses and ensure the sustainability of airport infrastructure development in Nigeria.