The recent announcement by Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Management, Festus Keyamo (SAN), exempting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and other top government officials from paying access fees or e-tags at all federal airports nationwide has sparked various reactions.

Keyamo made the announcement after the two-day Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which was presided over by President Tinubu at the Council Chamber in the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He stated that all exemptions for VIPs regarding payment for access into airports in the country had been canceled.

During the FEC meeting, Keyamo's ministry presented a memorandum outlining the financial losses incurred due to these exemptions.

The records showed that Nigeria lost approximately N10 billion in revenue that should have been collected from airports' tollgates.

Keyamo mentioned that the Council had instructed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to issue a service-wide circular informing everyone of the cancellation of the exemption. He also stated that his ministry would follow up with another memorandum.

He said, “No more exemption. When we came to office, we met a tradition on the ground where at the end of the year, all manners of VIPs would approach us for what they call complimentary e-tags or complimentary stickers. Whereby you see them coming into our airports nationwide. They don’t pay the access fees.

“They don’t pay for parking, they don’t pay for essential services at airports, and they are VIPs. And I told myself on my team, I said not under my watch. It will not happen. If this tradition has been existing for years, I will not allow it to happen. Because it is inconceivable that in our country it is the VIPs that don’t pay for services but it is the poor men that pay for services.

“The VIPs were supposed to have money to pay for services, but they compel poor men to pay for services and I said no. So I got my team together, I said we need the backing of Council to compel everybody. In fact, guess what? Our memo says with the exception of the President and the Vice President and the President overruled me and said he and the Vice President will pay, he said everybody.

“Let me give you the shocking statistics. The negative figure that we get at the end of the day from the complimentary e-tags is 82% in the negative. In other words, where we are supposed to have a 100% contract he e-costs from these e-tags that we print, it is only 18% that we now end up selling. That is how bad it is, 18% and 82% of these e-tags are given out free of charge to VIPs. So imagine the loss at my sector and I ask myself which other sector will I go to that they give me anything free?

“I’ll give another example. In one of the access gates, based on the count of the barrier going up and down, we are supposed to be making N250 or N260 million from that get every month. That gate, because of exemptions, the return is less than N100 million every month. That also of course, breeds corruption too because now you cannot track, you cannot have the audit trail of those free tags that you now give to our people to give out to people.

“So it was approved that the SGF should send a system-wide circular to everybody. We are going to also write to everybody, be it in the judiciary, the legislature, the executive, the military high command, they can buy for their personnel yearly don’t have to pay for every time you pass. Buy the yearly tags for all your officers, you have the money pay us, so that we can improve your services at the airport”, he said.

The recent announcement has generated mixed reactions on social media. While some hailed the move, some others were not too pleased by the move.

Below are some reactions gathered from different social media platforms

emetone said: "That's his greatest achievement o"

fegorson_studio wrote: "Anytime I hear news like this I know say one gbasgbos dey on the way for the masses brace for impact y’all"

agbadebo25 commented: "This is a step in the right direction, those who are not happy about this news, should look for other news that they want hear."

spencerobam_ said: "This is not a news for the comon man i will advice you keep it to yourself"

collinspromise wrote: "That's corruption,keyamo is active and doing well under this government unlike the previous one"

chikaochonma said: "This administration's main focus seems to be on taxation. The most major headlines have all been on taxes and levies. Perhaps this is the unspoken template. Nigerians are poor, a futuristic administration would have focused on improving the earning power and potential of its citizens first."

kbamgbose wrote: "With comments like is this priority, is this a good policy etc now I can confirm there is nothing any govt can do to satisfy Nigerian"

theindomitableforce asked: "Dey play… Na you go block President convoy when he’s passing to the airport?"