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FCCPC’s DEON regulations triggered a regulatory clash over whether airtime lending is telecom service or consumer creditLegal battles involving WASPAN, ALTON, and FCCPC escalated into court orders and enforcement suspensionMTN remained cautious amid uncertainty, leaving millions of users affected as courts decide
When airtime runs out, millions of Nigerians borrow. When the service stopped, they discovered just how much they depended on it.
Here is a timeline of how millions of Nigerians got caught in the raging airtime lending regulatory war.
Airtime lending suddenly became the centre of a fierce regulatory battle in Nigeria’s telecom sector. Photo: NurphotoSource: Getty Images
July 2025
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) introduced the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending (DEON) Regulations 2025, aimed at bringing digital lenders under a stronger consumer protection framework.
At the time, few Nigerians paid attention. But the regulations would later become the centre of a dispute affecting millions of people
