FG approves biometric ID system at airports to improve efficiency and security

The Federal Government has approved the deployment of a contactless biometric passenger verification system across Nigeria’s domestic airports, marking a shift in how travellers are identified before domestic flights.

The system, known as VPASS, was announced by Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo on Thursday. It will be implemented by VERXID Technologies Limited as part of a public-private partnership involving the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

VPASS works through facial recognition technology, allowing airports to verify a passenger’s identity without requiring them to hand over a physical ID card or passport. Instead, a camera scans the passenger’s face and matches it against registered identity data, similar to smartphone facial recognition systems, but applied at airport checkpoints.

Currently, this level of verification only exists for international travel. VPASS will extend the same standards to domestic flights, closing a gap that has long existed in Nigeria’s aviation security. The Minister noted that the system will later be expanded to cover private aviation as well.

Implementation will begin with infrastructure deployment across airports, followed by a nationwide sensitisation campaign to ensure passengers, airlines, and airport staff are aware of the changes before full adoption begins.

Impact of the new biometric system on airports and passengers

For everyday travellers, the most immediate change is faster, more efficient processing at airports. Instead of long queues at checkpoints where staff manually inspect ID cards, passengers move through biometric scanners that verify identity in seconds.

The Director of Commercial and Business Development at FAAN, Adebola Agunbiade, described it as eliminating reliance on physical identification, aligning Nigeria with how airports in the UK, UAE, and other countries already operate.

Beyond convenience, the system addresses a problem that has persisted in Nigeria’s domestic aviation for years: identity fraud and unauthorised boarding. Under the current manual process, gaps exist that can be exploited, whether through falsified documents or human error at checkpoints.

VPASS removes that vulnerability by tying every passenger to verifiable biometric data.

The system is also expected to improve revenue tracking for airlines and airport authorities, since accurate passenger data means more reliable records of who boarded which flight and when.

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The Managing Director of VERXID Technologies, Adebayo Bankole, said this would also curb unauthorised movement and strengthen revenue assurance through data analytics.

The approval builds on moves the government began in 2024, when it started installing electronic immigration gates at international airports. Eight e-gates were installed at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, with more planned across Lagos, Kano, Enugu, and Port Harcourt.

VPASS extends that modernisation drive to the domestic side of Nigeria’s airports.