By: Sonaike Peter
Claim:
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) directed telecom operators to suspend airtime borrowing and data advance services nationwide.
Verdict:
The claim is false. There is no evidence that FCCPC issued any directive banning or suspending airtime borrowing services. The suspension was a decision by telecom operators.
Full Text:
In recent days, Nigerians have reported being unable to access airtime borrowing and data advance services, popularly known as XtraTime, across major networks such as MTN and Airtel Nigeria.
The disruption sparked widespread speculation on social media, with claims that the FCCPC had ordered a shutdown of these services as part of its regulatory oversight.
Recall that MTN and Airtel had declared temporary suspension of XtraTime, which previously allowed their respective customers to purchase mobile data and airtime on credit.
In an official statement issued by FCCPC on his verified X account on Friday, April 17, 2026, the Commission dismissed the claim as inaccurate.
According to the Commission, it did not issue any directive preventing telecom operators from offering airtime or data borrowing services.
Instead, the Commission clarified that the ongoing disruption is linked to operators adjusting their systems to comply with its Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025 (DEON), a framework introduced to regulate digital lending practices and protect consumers from exploitation.
“The attention of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has been drawn to a series of newspaper publications and a viral anonymous post in the social media seeking to create the impression that the Commission cancelled, shut down, or banned airtime borrowing and data advance services in Nigeria,”
FCCPC wrote.
“Those claims are incorrect. The Commission has not prohibited airtime borrowing or data advance services, and no directive was issued preventing consumers from accessing lawful telecom value-added services,” the Commission added.
Verification
A review of the FCCPC’s official statement by Fact-Check Africa reveals the Commission explicitly stated that It did not prohibit airtime borrowing or data advance services.
FCCPC, in the statement issued, informed the members of the public that the claim is inaccurate, stating that it did not issue any directive preventing telecom operators from offering airtime or data borrowing services.
Conclusion:
The claim that the FCCPC ordered the suspension of airtime and data borrowing services is misleading and false. As contained in a statement issued by the Commission, the Commission only introduced regulations to sanitise digital lending practices, while telecom operators independently chose to suspend services temporarily to achieve compliance.
