Telecommunications subscribers in Nigeria can once again access emergency airtime borrowing services after Airtel and Globacom restored the platforms.
The move followed the suspension of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025, as well as a court order stopping enforcement of the policy pending the outcome of a legal challenge.
Chairman of the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria, Ayo Stuffman, confirmed that airtime lending services had resumed on both networks.
The return of the platforms is expected to benefit millions of Nigerians who depend on airtime advances for communication and small business activities. Industry figures estimate the market to be worth over ₦400 billion annually.
The FCCPC had attempted to regulate airtime lending under its 2025 digital lending framework, arguing that the services functioned as consumer credit platforms requiring oversight over issues such as privacy breaches and unfair lending practices.
However, telecom stakeholders rejected the classification, insisting airtime advances are value-added telecom services rather than traditional loans.
The dispute intensified after Justice A. Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos restrained the FCCPC from enforcing the regulations.
FCCPC spokesperson, Ondaje Ijagwu, later announced that the commission had suspended implementation of the rules in compliance with the court order, although it plans to challenge the ruling in court.