Telecoms have not lifted the suspension of airtime loan services despite the court order.

By Prince Osuagwu,
Hi-Tech Editor

Almost a month after a Federal High Court in Lagos granted interim injunctions to halt the enforcement of the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non‑Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025 (DEON) pending judicial review, telecom operators have not yet lifted the suspension on airtime loan services, leaving an estimated 40 million subscribers and regular micro‑credit users stranded.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) shocked the industry in April by announcing a sudden enforcement of the DEON regulations, which effectively paralyzed the country’s ₦400 billion annual airtime and data lending market and cut users off from critical emergency lifelines.

In response, the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN) filed a lawsuit to challenge the action.

On 15 April 2026, Justice Ambrose Lewis‑Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos granted four interim injunctions in case FHC/L/CS/760/2026. The court restrained the FCCPC, its officers and agents from enforcing the DEON regulations, including several key provisions of the framework. It also barred the FCCPC from interfering with the operations of WASPAN members, imposing sanctions or fines for alleged non‑compliance, or issuing directives related to the enforcement of the regulations.

Despite the injunction, telcos have not reversed the suspension. Some operators told Sunday Vanguard that, because the case is still pending, they prefer to wait for a final court decision. A senior MTN representative said, “Ordinarily when a case is in court, it is not meant to be discussed outside the court again. But I can tell you that interim injunction is not a final decision of a case. So we are waiting for the final decision on the case.”

Regulators such as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and other government stakeholders have remained silent on the matter.

Industry stakeholders and consumer‑protection groups have raised concerns about the prolonged impasse, urging both the FCCPC and NCC to resolve the issue promptly to avoid accusations of administrative abdication.

Samuel Johnson, a mobile accessory distributor, said, “As the statutory custodian of the telecommunications industry, the NCC’s complete refusal to issue a definitive public statement or intervene in the direct encroachment on its regulatory territory by the FCCPC has left both domestic subscribers and foreign investors in a state of deep anxiety.”

The Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), through its chairman Engr Gbenga Adebayo, had previously warned of jurisdictional conflicts, cautioning that allowing a consumer‑protection agency to reclassify telecom utilities as financial products could create severe operational friction. Those warnings have now materialised as a total freeze across all major GSM networks.

The FCCPC justified its position by citing more than 11,000 complaints against independent, unregulated mobile loan applications known for consumer defamation. Telecom operators argue that their automated network utilities—such as MTN’s XtraTime and Airtel’s emergency data credit—operate transparently, without interest‑bearing traps or debt collectors.

Industry practitioners contend that treating essential utility infrastructure with the same regulatory approach used for predatory loan sharks has dismantled an ecosystem that millions of vulnerable Nigerians rely on for daily economic survival.

They called on the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, and the Special Adviser to the President on Technology and Digital Economy, Idris Alubankudi, to take the issue seriously and work toward a swift resolution.

They argued that from small‑scale traders who depend on emergency airtime to run their mobile shopfronts, to individuals cut off during critical emergencies when immediate funds are unavailable, the current shutdown directly contradicts the government’s promises of digital inclusion and ease of doing business.

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