The Federal High Court in Lagos upheld the FCCPC’s authority to regulate airtime credit services under its DEON framework, but ruled that the Commission cannot issue licences, preserving the NCC as the sole licensing authority for telecommunications operators.
The judgment, delivered on Monday in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/760/2026, is the first time a Nigerian court has ruled on how oversight of the airtime credit market sits between the FCCPC and the NCC.
The market is estimated at between N300 billion and N400 billion annually and serves approximately 40 million subscribers daily.
The practical effect of the ruling is a division of labour. The FCCPC can set rules for how airtime credit is offered, enforce consumer protection standards, and address anti-competitive practices. It cannot determine who enters the market.
That function belongs to the NCC under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
