The Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday held that Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, has no authority to issues licences but can only oversee airtime and data credit services.
The court clarified that the Commission’s powers function alongside those of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, rather than replacing them.
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, who delivered the judgment in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/760/2026, determined that the DEON Consumer Lending Regulations 2025 fall within the statutory and constitutional powers of the FCCPC.
Furthermore, the judge emphasized that the relationship between the FCCPC and sector-specific regulators is one of complementarity, stating that “concurrency means coexistence, not displacement.”
The court confirmed the precedence of the FCCPC in matters of competition and consumer protection as outlined in Sections 104 and 105 of the FCCPA 2018, while also safeguarding the NCC’s technical, licensing, and prudential duties as defined by the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
