The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has been forced to stand down on one of its most consequential regulatory moves in recent memory, at least for now.
Nigerian telecommunications subscribers have officially regained access to emergency airtime lending platforms after major network operators quietly restored the services, following the FCCPC bowing to a Federal High Court order to suspend its enforcement of the controversial Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025, widely known as the DEON Regulations.
The reprieve, however, is far from the end of the story.
At the height of the dispute, around 40 million Nigerian telecom subscribers were left stranded without access to emergency airtime and data credit, as a festering regulatory battle between the FCCPC and key industry players crippled a market estimated to process roughly ₦400 billion annually.
Services such as Globacom’s “Borrow Me Credit” and airtime advances, lifelines for millions of subscribers who depend on them for emergency communication, had ground to a halt. The freeze, which had persisted for weeks, sparked public outcry and drew scrutiny from lawmakers and civil society groups alike.
Now, Airtel and Globacom have resumed airtime lending following the FCCPC’s suspension of the DEON Regulations.
The turning point came from the Federal High Court in Lagos. The court order was issued by Justice A.L. Allagoa on April 15, restraining the FCCPC from implementing the rules after a lawsuit was filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN).
WASPAN had filed the suit challenging the enforcement of the DEON Regulations, seeking protection for its members, the value-added service providers who operate airtime credit platforms.
In a statement that underscored the Commission’s reluctant compliance, the FCCPC declared, “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.”
Despite obeying the court’s directive, the FCCPC made clear it is not conceding the fight. The commission signaled its intention to challenge both the order and the underlying lawsuit, disclosing that it had instructed its legal team to immediately contest the competence of the suit and seek a reversal of the interim order.
The FCCPC’s resolve is rooted in its broader mandate. The Commission had moved to regulate airtime lending platforms under the DEON Regulations, insisting that such services fall within the scope of digital consumer credit and therefore require oversight to protect users from alleged abuses, including data privacy violations and unfair lending practices. The Commission claimed it had received more than 11,000 consumer complaints linked to digital lending operations.
At the heart of the dispute is a deeply contested question of regulatory jurisdiction. WASPAN argued in court that airtime credit should not be classified as a conventional loan because it operates as a telecom value-added service already regulated under the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) framework.
WASPAN has argued that while consumer protection remains important, certain provisions of the FCCPC regulations allegedly exceed the commission’s statutory powers, conflict with the Nigerian Communications Commission’s sectoral mandate, and risk creating unlawful compliance burdens for licensed telecom-based service providers.
The NCC, Nigeria’s primary telecom regulator, has notably remained silent throughout the controversy, a stance that industry watchers say has only deepened the confusion.
The legal drama escalated dramatically in May when the court appeared ready to go beyond the civil dispute. According to court filings in Suit No: FHC/L/CS/760/2026, the court issued a Form 49 notice directing the FCCPC’s chief executive to appear before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa on May 22, 2026, to show cause why he should not be committed to prison for contempt, a rare and stark escalation that underscored the severity of the standoff.
After hearing both sides, Justice Lewis-Allagoa declined the FCCPC’s application to discharge the injunction and instead ruled that the substantive suit and the FCCPC’s preliminary objection would be heard together, adjourning proceedings to May 15, 2026, while affirming that the interim injunction remains fully in force.
The legal battle over the regulations is far from over, with both parties expected to return to court for further arguments in the coming weeks. The outcome will carry profound implications not only for millions of everyday Nigerians who rely on airtime credit to stay connected, but also for the broader question of how Nigeria regulates its fast-evolving digital financial services sector.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The FCCPC’s enforcement of its DEON Regulations 2025 has been halted by a Federal High Court order, temporarily restoring airtime lending services for millions of Nigerians.
The core dispute is a regulatory turf war; the FCCPC insists airtime credit is a digital loan under its jurisdiction, while telecoms argue it is a value-added service already governed by the NCC. With the FCCPC vowing to fight back in court, the suspension is only a pause, not a resolution.
Until a definitive ruling is made, both consumers and industry players remain caught in the crossfire of an unresolved battle over who truly holds the regulatory reins in Nigeria’s digital lending space.
