No ban on borrowing airtime, data – FCCPC

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has cleared the air on reports that it banned airtime borrowing and data advance services in Nigeria.

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FCCPC described the news as false and misleading.

In a statement addressing what it called a wave of misinformation, the Commission said its attention had been drawn to “a series of newspaper publication 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.”

It stated unequivocally that “those claims are incorrect,” stressing that “the Commission has not prohibited airtime borrowing or data advance services, and no directive was issued preventing consumers from accessing lawful telecom value-added services.”

The clarification comes amid growing public concern over alleged service disruptions and rising complaints in the telecom sector.

The FCCPC explained that its intervention in the space followed numerous consumer complaints involving opaque charges, unexplained deductions, aggressive recovery practices, poor disclosure standards, and inadequate accountability within segments of the digital lending and advance-services market.

To address these issues, the Commission introduced the DEON Consumer Lending Regulations in July 2025, aimed at curbing “the excesses of abusive service providers whose practices had generated persistent consumer harm and undermined confidence in the market.”