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The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has urged the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to establish a clear coordination framework before taking any further action that could disrupt airtime and data credit services.
The call followed Monday’s judgment of the Federal High Court in Lagos, which affirmed the FCCPC’s authority to regulate airtime and data credit services but held that its powers operate alongside those of the NCC, not in place of them.
Delivering judgment in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/760/2026, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa ruled that the DEON Consumer Lending Regulations 2025 are within the FCCPC’s statutory powers, while holding that “concurrency means coexistence, not displacement.”
Reacting to the judgment, ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, welcomed the court’s clarification, saying it preserved the roles of both regulators.
“The court has done something important. It has confirmed the FCCPC’s authority and, in the same breath, affirmed that the NCC’s role is preserved. Concurrency means coexistence. The industry now expects both regulators to establish the coordination framework that the court’s reasoning requires,” he said.
He urged the two agencies to consult industry stakeholders before embarking on fresh enforcement, noting that airtime credit services were suspended for three months earlier this year before being restored.
“Forty million Nigerians depend on these services. The court has made clear that both regulators have a role. The industry is asking them to define how that works before any action that could disrupt access again,” Adebayo said.
The judgment is expected to shape future regulatory oversight of the country’s airtime and data credit market, estimated at between N300 billion and N400 billion annually.
