• FCCPC CEO, Tunji Bello

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has officially issued the Digital, Electronic, Online, or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations (DEON Consumer Lending Regulation), 2025, to address longstanding consumer complaints and a variety of issues.

These include exploitative practices, data privacy violations, abusive loan recovery tactics, harassment, and anti-competitive behaviour by certain digital lenders and their partners within Nigeria’s rapidly growing digital credit market.

This landmark Regulations, made pursuant to Sections 17, 18, and 163 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (2018), primarily safeguards consumers by establishing a comprehensive framework.

This framework mandates transparency, fairness, responsible conduct, data privacy, and accessible redress mechanisms, all under the oversight of the FCCPC.

It is a crucial step toward regulating Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital lending sector.

Announcing the gazetting and commencement of the Regulations in his office in Abuja today, the Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Tunji Bello, stated, “For too long, Nigerians have endured harassment, data breaches, and unethical practices by unregulated digital lenders.

These regulations draw a clear line that innovation is welcome, but not at the expense of rights and dignity of consumers, or the rule of law.”

“This Regulations provide the legal tools to hold violators accountable and promote responsible digital finance.

No consumer should be harassed, defamed, or lured into unsustainable debt under the guise of digital lending,” he added.

The Regulations, which came into effect on July 21, 2025, establishes a robust legal framework to register, monitor, and sanction all forms of digital and non-traditional lending in Nigeria.

Applicable to all unsecured consumer lending conducted through electronic, online, mobile, or other non-traditional means, the regulations set out clear requirements for registration, transparency, data privacy, ethical recovery, fair interest rates, and responsible lending.

Critically, the Regulations prohibits pre-authorised or automatic lending, compel clear and accessible loan terms, ban unethical marketing, and mandate local ownership of at least one service provider for airtime and data lending services.

It also requires joint registration of all lender partnerships and prohibits monopolistic or dominance-based agreements without prior Commission’s approval.

Under its provisions, all digital lenders must register with the FCCPC within 90 days of commencement. Approval is dependent on meeting consumer protection, data compliance, and transparency standards.

Non-compliant operators face sanctions, which may include fines of up to ₦100 million or 1% of turnover, as well as potential disqualification of directors for up to five years.

The FCCPC urges all current and intending providers of digital lending services, including Mobile Money Operators (MMOs), Digital Money Lenders (DMLs), and service partners, to visit www.fccpc.gov.ng for application forms, guidelines, and compliance requirements.

Consumers are advised to report unlawful or unregistered lenders, unfair interest rates, or privacy violations to the Commission through its complaint portal.

•Director-General of BPE, Ayodeji Gbeleyi

The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) says it has concluded plans to list two electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) and one Generation Company on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) through an Initial Public Offering.

The Director-General of BPE, Ayodeji Gbeleyi, disclosed this in a statement, explained that the move is part of the federal government’s broader strategy to deepen private sector participation in the power sector and attract long-term investment that would boost efficiency and service delivery.

He said that the federal government has 40% shares in the DisCOs which were recently transferred to the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI).

The DisCos are Abuja, Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ibadan, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Yola electricity distribution companies.

They have been recently burdened by huge debts owed to the federal government.

Gbeleyi, however, declined to reveal the identities of the companies set to be listed, stressing that such information was bound by corporate confidentiality

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to escalate its fight against fraud and economic crimes plaguing the aviation industry.

NCAA Director General, Captain Chris Najomo, made the appeal during a courtesy visit to EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, at the commission’s Abuja headquarters on Tuesday, according to a statement released on the EFCC’s official X handle.

Najomo highlighted how fraudulent activities are severely undermining safety oversight and operational transparency within the sector. He specifically pointed to high-value transactions like aircraft purchases, leasing arrangements, foreign maintenance contracts, and safety infrastructure procurement as areas particularly vulnerable to abuse.

“Non-remittance weakens the NCAA’s ability to fund safety oversight and operational efficiency, and may require EFCC’s intervention to investigate cases where deliberate withholding, diversion, or misappropriation of these funds is suspected,” Najomo stated.

He further alleged that some aviation operators deliberately under-report revenues, manipulate ticketing systems, or divert funds, actions that cripple the NCAA’s regulatory capacity.

Najomo also raised concerns about illegal charter operations disguised as private flights, which involve unregulated financial flows, emphasizing the critical need for the EFCC’s financial intelligence expertise to uncover such practices.

To address these challenges, Najomo proposed collaborative initiatives, including training NCAA personnel to identify financial red flags, organizing joint sensitization workshops, and establishing robust intelligence-sharing mechanisms to enhance regulatory oversight.

Responding, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede welcomed the partnership and announced that senior EFCC officers would collaborate with the NCAA to finalize a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The agreement will focus on joint investigations, intelligence exchange, and compliance monitoring. “With the kind of work you do, when people see us beside you, they will take you seriously. Aviation is an area where we have seen money laundering, particularly through chartered services.

That is why we have been reaching out to you, and we will continue until we achieve the desired results,” Olukoyede affirmed.