By George OPARA
A wave of relief has come the way of millions of telecom subscribers across Nigeria as court has ordered the reinstatement of airtime and data lending services on major networks.
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, directed telecom operators including MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria to immediately restore the popular “borrow credit” and “borrow data” services which had been suspended in recent months.
In its ruling, the court held that the suspension of the services without proper regulatory backing was unfair to consumers who rely on the feature for emergency communication.
Presiding Justice Ibrahim Musa who delivered the judgment, sited that telecom providers must operate within the framework of consumer protection laws and ensure that subscribers are not subjected to abrupt service withdrawals.
In his reaction, a telecom subscriber, Chinedu Okeke, said, “This is a welcome development. Many of us depend on borrowed airtime, especially during emergencies. The suspension affected communication badly.
”Another user, Aisha Bello, described the ruling as timely, adding that “not everyone always has immediate access to recharge, so this service is very important.
”The decision is expected to restore convenience for millions of users, particularly low income earners who rely on the lending feature to stay connected.Both MTN and Airtel are yet to issue official statements on the time to carry out execution.
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