President Tinubu, VP Shettima to start paying tollgate fees at airports

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President, Kashim Shettima will start paying tollgate fees whenever they use airports in Nigeria.

This decision was reached at the Federal Executive Council, (FEC) meeting comprising cabinet ministers, which held on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.

The approval was made following a memorandum presented to the council by the minister of aviation, Festus Keyamo, who argued that the government was losing over 82% of the revenue it should have earned from the e-tags that provide access to the tollgates.

Following the approval, there would be no more exemption granted to high profile users of the airports from paying tollgate fees.

Keyamo explained during media briefing after the FEC meeting that the memoranda had initially prescribed an exemption for only the president and the vice president before Tinubu overruled and directed that both of them should be included among those that must pay.

The minister said it was regrettable that wealthy Very Important Persons, VIPs, who should pay are those that have not been paying. He added that only poor people had been charged for using the tollgates, a situation that must stop.