In a landmark series of judicial interventions, the Federal High Courts in Abuja and Lagos have reshaped the regulatory landscape of Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, delivering what industry analysts describe as a decisive victory for consumer rights and the digital economy.
The courts ordered the immediate restoration of airtime and data lending services, effectively halting a regulatory crackdown that had threatened to wipe out an estimated ₦1.2 trillion liquidity buffer within the country’s informal sector.
The most recent ruling was delivered by the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 23, 2026, where an interim order was granted in favour of Nairtime Holdings Limited and Nairtime Nigeria Limited.
The court directed MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Airtel Networks Limited to immediately restore access to infrastructure supporting the “XtraTime” and “XtraByte” services.
This followed an earlier ruling in Lagos, where Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa restrained the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) from enforcing its Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional (DEON) Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025, after a suit filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN).
At the centre of the dispute is an ongoing jurisdictional conflict between the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the FCCPC over regulatory control of digital lending and telecom-based credit services.
Elijah Adeyemi
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