Massive Losses At Airports: Keyamo Uncovers Billions Missing From Previous Administrations

The Federal Government reportedly lost N10 billion in revenue from airport tollgates under previous administrations. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this during a briefing with State House correspondents after a two-day Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Tuesday, Naija News reports.

Keyamo revealed that the ministry suffered significant financial losses, primarily due to the issuance of complimentary e-tags, which accounted for 82 percent of all printed e-tags. These tags were often distributed free to VIPs, drastically reducing the potential revenue.

According to Keyamo, the ministry currently earns about N100 million monthly from a specific airport gate, whereas it could be making around N260 million without the exemptions. He explained that the free e-tags for VIPs have cost the ministry billions of naira over the years.

“The negative impact from complimentary e-tags is significant,” Keyamo stated. “We only sell 18 percent of these e-tags, while 82 percent are given away for free to VIPs. This practice has led to annual losses in the billions, and yet our airport infrastructure continues to deteriorate. These same VIPs who enjoy free passage often criticize the poor state of our facilities.”

Keyamo emphasized that improved infrastructure requires proper funding, which can only be achieved if everyone pays for the services they use. He pointed out that one airport gate, which should generate N250 million to N260 million monthly, returns less than N100 million due to exemptions.

In response to these losses, the FEC has decided that the president, vice president, and other top government officials will start paying access fees or the e-tag charges at all 24 federal airports across the country. Previously, these top officials were exempt from such fees.

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