By Tochukwu Bliss, Abuja
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has informed the public that it has not prohibited airtime borrowing or data advance services or issued any directive preventing consumers from accessing lawful telecom value-added services.
Rather, the Commission admitted that it issued the DEON Consumer Lending Regulations in July 2025, following a deluge of consumer complaints bordering on opaque charges, unexplained deductions, aggressive recovery practices, poor disclosure standards, and inadequate accountability in segments of the digital lending and advance-services market.
A statement from the Director, Corporate Affairs, FCCPC, Ondaje Ijagwu, said the regulations were introduced, among other reasons, to curb the excesses of abusive service providers whose practices had generated persistent consumer harm and undermined confidence in the market.
The statement reads further, “The primary aim is to promote a fairer and more transparent system by mandating proper registration, responsible lending conduct, clear disclosure of fees and terms, accessible consumer complaint channels, data protection safeguards, stronger accountability for third-party partners, and effective regulatory oversight.”
Specifically, the Commission noted that in the telecom sector, its findings indicated that some operators engaged in exclusionary third-party technical arrangements in clear disobedience to the provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018.
“The Regulations sought to unlock the market to allow local participants alongside foreign partners, in line with free market principles.
“These measures benefit Nigerians by reducing abusive practices, improving transparency, strengthening consumer choice, and encouraging responsible innovation by legitimate operators,” it added.
The FCCPC also stated that it is aware that some vested interests and their foreign collaborators are opposed to the creation of safe markets and fair competition, therefore resorting to a campaign of disinformation.
Nevertheless, it insisted that “Operators are expected to structure their commercial relationships in a manner consistent with Nigerian law,” adding that “Commercial arrangements or outsourcing decisions do not displace competition and consumer protection obligations.”
Any temporary suspension, restriction, or operational change introduced by service providers should therefore be understood as a business or compliance decision by those operators, not a ban imposed by the FCCPC.
Commencement of framework
The Commission further recalled that “At the commencement of the framework in July 2025, affected operators were granted an initial 90-day compliance period to regularise their products, structures, and operations.
That opportunity was not utilised within the prescribed time frame, specifically in the telecom sector.
“The compliance window was subsequently extended until 5 January 2026, providing additional time for alignment with applicable requirements.
“Despite that further extension, the necessary compliance steps were still not completed by the relevant operators.
“Notwithstanding clear regulatory requirements, some operators chose to maintain the status quo by failing to register and regularise their services.
“In doing so, they continued operating monopolistic models that had long generated consumer complaints, including concerns relating to transparency, deductions, charges, and accountability.”
Accordingly, it maintained, “Any temporary suspension, restriction, or operational change introduced by service providers should therefore be understood as a business or compliance decision by those operators, not a ban imposed by the FCCPC.
“It is inaccurate to attribute avoidable disruption to regulation where regulated entities had adequate notice and sufficient opportunity to comply.
“Attempts to misrepresent temporary service inconvenience as the result of lawful consumer regulation are mischievous. Nigerians deserve accurate information, not sensational claims.”
The FCCPC’s clarifications come amid what it described as a series of newspaper publications and a viral anonymous post in the social media seeking to create the impression that the Commission cancelled, shut down, or banned airtime borrowing and data advance services in Nigeria.
Consumers and members of the public are therefore advised to disregard false and misleading narratives on this issue, as the Commission said it is fully committed to protecting consumers, promoting fair competition, encouraging responsible innovation, ensuring transparent digital financial practices, and working constructively with sector regulators and service providers in the public interest.
