President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima will now pay tollgate fees when using airports in Nigeria. This new policy was announced by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), following a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House in Abuja.
Keyamo revealed that the FEC approved the removal of exemptions for all airport users, including top government officials, from paying tollgate fees. The decision came after Keyamo presented a memorandum highlighting significant revenue losses. The government was losing over 82% of potential revenue due to e-tag exemptions.
Originally, the exemptions were meant to include only the president and vice president. However, President Tinubu overruled this, insisting that both he and the vice president should also pay the fees.
Keyamo expressed disappointment that wealthy Very Important Persons (VIPs) had been avoiding the fees, while only less affluent individuals were being charged. He emphasized that this unfair practice must end, ensuring that everyone contributes to the tollgate revenue.
This move is seen as a step towards increasing government revenue and promoting fairness in tollgate fee collection at Nigerian airports.