The ‘borrow airtime’ service might be back for millions of Nigerian telecom users as a result of court rulings compelling MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Airtel Networks Limited to promptly resume airtime and data lending services.
The Federal High Court in Abuja granted an interim judgment on April 23, 2026, providing relief to Nairtime Holdings Limited and Nairtime Nigeria Limited, which is at the centre of the development.
Following successive Federal High Court rulings in Abuja and Lagos that limited enforcement proceedings related to digital lending legislation, millions of Nigerian telecom users may soon be able to utilize airtime and data credit services again.
The interim order, contained in a Certified True Copy as obtained by ENigeria Newspaper on Tuesday, followed an ex parte application filed by Nairtime Holdings Limited and Nairtime Nigeria Limited, who approached the court over what they described as a threatened disruption of their business operations by the telecom operators.
In Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/779/2026, the plaintiffs argued that the defendants intended to suspend, discontinue, or otherwise interfere with their access to telecommunications platforms, including USSD channels, SMS, short codes, and billing services. They contended that the planned action was based on directives allegedly arising from the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025.
In a similar vein, the Federal High Court in Lagos issued interim orders on April 15, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/720/2026, prohibiting the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, the suit’s defendant, from enforcing the same lending regulations against the plaintiff, the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria.
Under the direction of Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, the Lagos court prohibited the commission from enforcing important regulations, assessing penalties, or taking actions that would prevent service providers from carrying on with their business while an interlocutory injunction was being heard.
The judge held, “an Order of Interim Injunction is granted pending the hearing and final determination of the Motion for Interlocutory Injunction restraining the Defendant whether by itself, officers, employees, agents or such other persons howsoever named from enforcing, implementing and or otherwise giving effect to the enforcement and or implementation of the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025 (“The Deon Consumer Lending Regulations”) or otherwise giving effect to the enforcement and or implementation of paragraphs 3,7,10,12,13,14,15,16,24,27,29 and 32 of the said regulations).
When was ‘borrow airtime’ service banned?
Recall that ENigeria Newspaper reported last week that due to compliance requirements under the new regulatory framework established by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, airtime credit services, such as MTN’s XtraTime and Airtel’s data credit products, were banned in mid-April.
Consequently, millions of prepaid users who depend on airtime borrowing as a type of short-term credit were impacted by the disruption, which happened without warning or a clear schedule for restoration.
