Telecommunications subscribers across Nigeria have regained access to emergency airtime lending services after major network operators, Airtel and Glo, restored the platforms following the suspension of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025.
The restoration comes after a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the FCCPC to halt enforcement of the regulations pending the determination of a suit challenging the commission’s authority to regulate telecom-based airtime advance services.
Confirming the development on Monday, Chairman of the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria, WASPAN, Ayo Stuffman, said the services had resumed operations on both networks.
“As we speak, the services in question are already active on Airtel and Glo,” he said.
The return of the airtime advance platforms is expected to bring 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 more than ₦400 billion annually.
The FCCPC had sought to bring airtime lending platforms under its DEON Regulations 2025 framework, arguing that such services constitute digital consumer credit and therefore require regulatory oversight to address issues such as unfair lending practices and data privacy concerns.
According to the commission, it had received over 11,000 consumer complaints connected to digital lending activities.
However, stakeholders within the telecommunications sector opposed the move, insisting that airtime advances are telecom value-added services rather than conventional consumer loans.
The disagreement escalated into a legal dispute after Justice A. Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos restrained the FCCPC from enforcing the regulations pending the outcome of the suit.
Reports also indicated that Form 49 contempt proceedings were initiated against FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello, over the implementation process.
In a statement issued on Friday, FCCPC Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, confirmed that the commission had suspended enforcement of the regulations in compliance with 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 said.
Despite the suspension, the FCCPC said its legal team had been directed to challenge both the court order and the competence of the suit filed against the commission.
Industry observers say the temporary resolution has eased tensions within the telecom sector, although uncertainty remains over the long-term regulatory framework governing Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital credit and telecom services market.
Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, had earlier called for clearer regulatory boundaries and greater policy predictability to avoid disruptions within the industry.
The outcome of the ongoing court case is expected to shape the future regulation of airtime lending and other emerging digital financial services operating within Nigeria’s telecommunications ecosystem.
