Airtime lending returns as FCCPC bows to court order
The development comes after the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) suspended the enforcement of its Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending (DEON) Regulations 2025 in compliance with a Federal High Court order.
The suspension followed legal disputes over the Commission’s attempt to regulate telecom-based airtime lending services under digital consumer credit regulations.
Confirming the return of the services, Chairman of the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN), Ayo Stuffman, disclosed that the platforms had resumed operations on Airtel and Glo networks.
“As we speak, the services in question are already active on Airtel and Glo,” he said.
The restoration has brought relief to millions of subscribers who rely on emergency airtime credit for communication and small-scale business transactions.
Industry estimates place Nigeria’s airtime lending market at over N400 billion annually.
The FCCPC had earlier introduced the DEON Regulations 2025, insisting that airtime lending services fall within the category of digital consumer credit operations requiring regulatory oversight to protect users from alleged abuses, including unfair lending practices and data privacy violations.
The Commission also claimed to have received more than 11,000 complaints linked to digital lending activities.
However, the move faced resistance from stakeholders within the telecommunications sector, including WASPAN and other operators, who argued that airtime advances are telecom value-added services rather than conventional loans.
The legal dispute escalated after Justice A. Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos reportedly ordered the FCCPC to halt enforcement of the regulations pending the determination of the suit challenging the Commission’s powers over the matter.
Reports further indicated that contempt proceedings were initiated against the FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello.
In a statement issued on Friday, FCCPC Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, confirmed that the Commission had suspended implementation of the regulations in obedience to the court order.
“As a law-abiding institution, the Commission, in deference and in obedience to the rule of law, hereby suspends the implementation and the enforcement of the DEON Regulations 2025,” the statement read.
Despite the temporary suspension, the FCCPC signalled plans to challenge the court ruling, stating that its legal team had been instructed to contest both the court order and the competence of the suit filed against it.
Industry stakeholders described the development as a temporary relief for the telecom sector but warned that continued regulatory uncertainty could affect investor confidence and long-term stability within the industry.
Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, had earlier called for clearer regulatory boundaries and policy predictability in the telecommunications sector.
For now, subscribers can once again access emergency airtime lending services while the legal battle over the regulation of Nigeria’s growing digital credit ecosystem continues.
