Two major airports in Nigeria's main cities Abuja and Lagos experienced traffic snarl-ups on Sunday as motorists registered for cashless access to the facilities.

The Go-Cashless initiative, being championed by Nigeria's central bank, prohibits motorists from making cash payments at the gates to gain access to the airports.

The central bank says the move is aimed at encouraging digital financial transactions.

For its part, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), states that the cashless system at airports will improve vehicular processing speed, promote transparency, and enhance operational efficiency.

Major traffic snarl-up

FAAN told motorists to obtain the Go-Cashless cards at its commercial offices, airport access gates, or at partner banks.

Consequently, a large number of motorists turned up at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja for the registration, which officially commenced on Sunday.

This caused major vehicular traffic snarl-ups to the two main airports.

"We acknowledge the traffic build-up experienced at the access gates today. Despite the wide publicity, notices, and repeated announcements issued ahead of the commencement date, a significant number of motorists opted to register for their Go-Cashless cards at the gates this morning," FAAN said in a statement on X social network on Sunday.

To address this challenge, the regulator said it had deployed additional personnel, increased registration points, and enhanced on ground co-ordination.