The Federal Government has approved the deployment of a nationwide biometric passenger verification system across all domestic airports in Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen aviation security and improve identity management in the sector.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this in a post on his official X account on Friday, confirming that the agreement for the rollout of the system was finalized on Thursday.
According to him, the system, known as VPASS, will introduce contactless biometric verification for passengers travelling on domestic flights across the country.
“Yesterday, I signed a concession agreement on behalf of the Federal Government for the deployment of a contactless biometric passenger verification system, known as VPASS, across Nigeria’s domestic airports as part of efforts to strengthen aviation security, enhance data integrity, and improve revenue generation,” Keyamo said.
He explained that the project followed due regulatory procedures and received approvals from relevant government institutions before final clearance.
“This came after the necessary concurrence of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the approval of the Federal Executive Council,” he added.
The minister noted that the VPASS system is designed to address long-standing challenges in Nigeria’s aviation sector, including inconsistencies in passenger records and cases of unauthorized boarding.
“The initiative is designed to eliminate discrepancies in passenger data arising from inconsistent airline records, while also addressing unauthorized boarding practices,” he said.
Keyamo further stated that the biometric system will ensure stricter identity verification at airports, making it difficult for passengers to bypass standard identification procedures.
“The system will ensure that all passengers on domestic flights are properly identified, thereby closing existing gaps that allow individuals to bypass Standard Identification Procedures,” he added.
The Federal Government said the initiative is part of broader reforms aimed at modernising Nigeria’s aviation sector, improving safety standards, and enhancing operational efficiency across airports nationwide.