Telcos to FCCPC, NCC: Define regulatory roles before fresh actions on airtime, data credit

Nigerian telecommunications operators are demanding a formal, coordinated regulatory framework from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on airtime and data credit services.

Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, made the demand in a statement released on Monday.

He urged both agencies to clearly define their respective regulatory roles before taking any fresh action affecting airtime and data credit services, warning that about 40 million Nigerians rely on the platform daily.

His remarks followed a landmark ruling by Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos affirming the roles of both agencies.

The court held that the FCCPC has the authority to regulate airtime and data credit services but that its powers operate alongside those of the NCC.

The court affirmed the FCCPC’s powers under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 while preserving the NCC’s exclusive responsibility for telecommunications licensing and technical regulation under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.

Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, who delivered the judgment in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/760/2026, ruled that the relationship between the two regulators is complementary, stating that “concurrency means coexistence, not displacement.”

Welcoming the ruling, Adebayo said the judgment provides the regulatory clarity the industry has been seeking.

“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 recalled that airtime credit services were suspended for three months earlier this year following an enforcement directive before being restored, stressing the need to avoid a repeat.

“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.

He also noted that the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council’s April 6, 2026 directive requiring Regulatory Impact Assessments before major regulatory changes remains applicable.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖