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Stakeholders in the telecommunication industry have said that emergency airtime for millions of Nigerians is just a convenience but an essential service that keeps businesses running, families connected and critical financial transactions alive.
The position followef months of regulatory uncertainty over the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending (DEON) Regulations, which temporarily disrupted airtime and data advance services before enforcement was suspended pending the determination of a court case.
Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said the episode exposed the central role emergency airtime now plays in the lives of millions of Nigerians.
“What this episode demonstrated is that airtime credit is not a financial product in the way regulators initially characterised it. It is economic infrastructure that approximately 40 million people use regularly, with the vast majority of them at the base of the economy.
“Removing that infrastructure, even temporarily, had consequences that went far beyond the telecom sector,” Adebayo said.
According to industry estimates, about 40 million prepaid subscribers rely on emergency airtime and data advances to make calls, access the internet, complete banking transactions and remain connected whenever they run out of credit.
The disruption, which affected services across major mobile networks earlier this year, highlighted the dependence of petty traders, artisans, commercial drivers, dispatch riders, students and other low-income earners on the facility.
One of the affected subscribers, Farouk Rabiu, recounted how he was left stranded after exhausting his data while trying to access his bank account.
“I was devastated because, after exhausting my data, I was hoping to borrow credit to access my bank account. Instead, it was a major disappointment,” he said.
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Although he acknowledged that the service attracts charges, Rabiu described it as an indispensable backup.
“They do save you from some unnecessary embarrassment. I missed having that option,” he added.
The temporary disruption also reignited debate over the need to balance consumer protection with uninterrupted access to digital services.
While the FCCPC insisted the DEON Regulations were introduced to improve transparency and accountability in the digital lending ecosystem, the Commission suspended enforcement of the framework after court orders, saying it was acting in obedience to the rule of law while pursuing its legal arguments.
Commenting on the restoration of emergency airtime and data services, Chief Executive Officer of Nairtime Nigeria Limited and Chief Commercial Officer of Optasia, Nnenna Agbo, described the development as a major relief for millions of Nigerians.
“These services provide a lifeline for millions of Nigerian consumers who rely on them for daily connectivity, and we welcome this development,” she said.
Agbo added that the company would continue to work with regulators and industry partners as the legal process continues.
“Fair financial access is at the heart of our business and we are committed to working constructively with regulators and our partners as the legal process unfolds to promote a fair, transparent and inclusive digital ecosystem that benefits Nigeria and all Nigerians,” she said.
Adebayo also urged greater collaboration between the FCCPC and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), saying both institutions have complementary roles to play in safeguarding consumers while preserving services that millions now regard as essential.
“The lesson is that Nigeria’s regulatory agencies need formal coordination protocols for services at the intersection of telecommunications and financial products.
The FCCPC’s consumer protection mandate and the NCC’s telecom regulatory mandate can coexist without either displacing the other,” he said.
With the substantive court proceedings expected to determine the regulatory boundaries for airtime advances, stakeholders say the dispute has underscored one reality, which is that for about 40 million Nigerians, emergency airtime has evolved from a telecom product into a daily economic lifeline that supports communication, commerce and access to essential services.
