The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has officially resumed full enforcement of the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025 (DEON Regulations), following a key ruling by the Federal High Court in Lagos on July 20, 2026.
​Presiding Judge Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa dismissed a suit filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN), which had challenged the commission’s regulatory jurisdiction over digital lending operations and emergency airtime credit services.
The court’s decision vacates an interim order granted in April 2026 that had temporarily halted the implementation of the DEON Regulations.
WASPAN contended that emergency airtime borrowing fell under telecom industry oversight rather than consumer protection regulatory scope.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa ruled that the FCCPC acted fully within its statutory and constitutional powers under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) to regulate consumer credit transactions, including unsecured cash loans, airtime, and data lending.
The verdict removes pending legal barriers, restoring the FCCPC’s regulatory framework over Nigeria’s digital consumer credit market and the estimated ₦400 billion airtime lending sector.
​With the legal challenge cleared, the FCCPC confirmed that enforcement mechanisms are fully active. All digital lending platforms, fintech app operators, and credit aggregators operating in Nigeria must align with the DEON Regulations framework.
​The regulations states that lenders must complete formal registration and obtain approval from the FCCPC and with clear presentation of all interest rates, fees, and repayment terms prior to transaction completion.
There will be Total prohibition of predatory debt-collection tactics, defamation, or unauthorized harassment of loan default contacts and adherence to the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, restricting unauthorized access to borrower contact lists or personal device data.
Non-compliant corporate entities face administrative fines of up to ₦100 million or 1% of annual turnover, along with potential director disqualifications.
