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Category: POLITICS
Airtel, Glo Restore Airtime Lending After Court Order
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Read Time:2 Minute, 36 Second
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/airtel-glo-restore-airtime-lending-after-court-order/Airtel and Glo have restored emergency airtime lending services to millions of Nigerian subscribers after the country’s competition regulator suspended enforcement of its controversial digital lending rules following a Federal High Court order.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) announced on May 22 that it had suspended enforcement of its Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations (DEON Regulations) 2025, after an interim order issued by the Federal High Court in Lagos halted implementation.
Ayo Stuffman, chairman of the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN), confirmed the resumption on Monday. “As we speak, the services in question are already active on Airtel and Glo,” Stuffman said, adding that he was confident MTN would also restore services given the recent developments from the FCCPC.
The court order, issued by Justice A.L. Allagoa on April 15, restrained the FCCPC from implementing the rules after a lawsuit filed by WASPAN, whose members argued that airtime credit cannot be classified as a conventional loan.
The suspension in April had disrupted services for an estimated 40 million subscribers nationwide, cutting off a form of short-term microcredit relied upon heavily by low-income earners, traders and small business owners who depend on uninterrupted communication for daily operations. Industry estimates put the annual airtime lending market at over N400 billion.
The FCCPC originally introduced the DEON Regulations in 2025 to tackle abusive practices by digital loan apps, including borrower harassment, hidden charges and public shaming of debtors. The regulations adopted a broad definition of lending that extended beyond cash loans to cover airtime credit, deferred-payment data bundles and buy-now-pay-later services, pulling telecom operators into a compliance framework they argued fell outside the FCCPC’s statutory reach.
Industry stakeholders argued that telecom-enabled services fall under the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) regulatory purview under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, not the FCCPC. NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida had publicly backed that position at an industry briefing in April, insisting airtime credit qualifies as a telecom value-added service.
Despite suspending enforcement, the FCCPC signalled it would contest the court’s jurisdiction, instructing its legal team to challenge both the interim order and the competence of the suit filed against it. MTN, meanwhile, has said its XtraTime service can only be restored following a definitive court ruling removing the FCCPC from regulating telecom digital lending, or after receiving explicit FCCPC approval, meaning millions of MTN subscribers remain without the service while the legal battle continues.
The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has previously called for clearer regulatory boundaries in the sector, warning that unpredictable oversight conditions undermine investor confidence. The final outcome of the court dispute will determine which regulator, the FCCPC or the NCC, exercises authority over Nigeria’s fast-growing digital credit ecosystem.
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/airtel-glo-restore-airtime-lending-after-court-order/
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Airtel, Glo Restore Airtime Lending After Court Order
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Read Time:2 Minute, 36 Second
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/airtel-glo-restore-airtime-lending-after-court-order/Airtel and Glo have restored emergency airtime lending services to millions of Nigerian subscribers after the country’s competition regulator suspended enforcement of its controversial digital lending rules following a Federal High Court order.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) announced on May 22 that it had suspended enforcement of its Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations (DEON Regulations) 2025, after an interim order issued by the Federal High Court in Lagos halted implementation.
Ayo Stuffman, chairman of the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN), confirmed the resumption on Monday. “As we speak, the services in question are already active on Airtel and Glo,” Stuffman said, adding that he was confident MTN would also restore services given the recent developments from the FCCPC.
The court order, issued by Justice A.L. Allagoa on April 15, restrained the FCCPC from implementing the rules after a lawsuit filed by WASPAN, whose members argued that airtime credit cannot be classified as a conventional loan.
The suspension in April had disrupted services for an estimated 40 million subscribers nationwide, cutting off a form of short-term microcredit relied upon heavily by low-income earners, traders and small business owners who depend on uninterrupted communication for daily operations. Industry estimates put the annual airtime lending market at over N400 billion.
The FCCPC originally introduced the DEON Regulations in 2025 to tackle abusive practices by digital loan apps, including borrower harassment, hidden charges and public shaming of debtors. The regulations adopted a broad definition of lending that extended beyond cash loans to cover airtime credit, deferred-payment data bundles and buy-now-pay-later services, pulling telecom operators into a compliance framework they argued fell outside the FCCPC’s statutory reach.
Industry stakeholders argued that telecom-enabled services fall under the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) regulatory purview under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, not the FCCPC. NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida had publicly backed that position at an industry briefing in April, insisting airtime credit qualifies as a telecom value-added service.
Despite suspending enforcement, the FCCPC signalled it would contest the court’s jurisdiction, instructing its legal team to challenge both the interim order and the competence of the suit filed against it. MTN, meanwhile, has said its XtraTime service can only be restored following a definitive court ruling removing the FCCPC from regulating telecom digital lending, or after receiving explicit FCCPC approval, meaning millions of MTN subscribers remain without the service while the legal battle continues.
The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has previously called for clearer regulatory boundaries in the sector, warning that unpredictable oversight conditions undermine investor confidence. The final outcome of the court dispute will determine which regulator, the FCCPC or the NCC, exercises authority over Nigeria’s fast-growing digital credit ecosystem.
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/airtel-glo-restore-airtime-lending-after-court-order/
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Rudeboy Warns Nigeria Is Actually at War
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Read Time:1 Minute, 44 Second
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/rudeboy-warns-nigeria-is-actually-at-war/Nigerian singer Paul Okoye, known professionally as Rudeboy, declared the country is “actually at war” on Tuesday, reacting to a relentless string of kidnappings he says Nigerians have come to accept as normal.
In a post on X, the former P-Square act said Nigeria was moving from one abduction to the next with a frequency that should alarm the public, but instead appeared to be passing with dull indifference. His frustration centred not just on the volume of cases but on what he described as a collective numbness that has set in among citizens.
The remarks land against a backdrop of documented security deterioration across multiple states. Nigeria has reached a point where mass abductions no longer produce the sustained outrage or urgency they once did, with headlines appearing, officials issuing statements and security agencies launching rescue operations, only for the nation to gradually move on until another attack occurs.
An analysis of school abductions in Nigeria spanning more than 16 years shows what began as isolated incidents has grown into what security analysts describe as a “lucrative criminal enterprise,” exploited by armed groups to extract ransom from families and pressure the government.
Rudeboy has spoken out on insecurity before. When gunmen attacked worshippers in Jos during Palm Sunday celebrations in March 2026, he took to X to say Nigerians were “not angry enough” about the deteriorating security situation across the country. Tuesday’s post goes further, framing the kidnapping cycle not as a governance failure but as an active conflict that the public has stopped recognising as such.
His use of war language reflects a growing sentiment among Nigerian public figures that the language of crisis has lost its power to move institutions or citizens. Whether that view accelerates pressure on the administration of President Bola Tinubu remains to be seen.
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/rudeboy-warns-nigeria-is-actually-at-war/
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Rudeboy Warns Nigeria Is Actually at War
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Read Time:1 Minute, 44 Second
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/rudeboy-warns-nigeria-is-actually-at-war/Nigerian singer Paul Okoye, known professionally as Rudeboy, declared the country is “actually at war” on Tuesday, reacting to a relentless string of kidnappings he says Nigerians have come to accept as normal.
In a post on X, the former P-Square act said Nigeria was moving from one abduction to the next with a frequency that should alarm the public, but instead appeared to be passing with dull indifference. His frustration centred not just on the volume of cases but on what he described as a collective numbness that has set in among citizens.
The remarks land against a backdrop of documented security deterioration across multiple states. Nigeria has reached a point where mass abductions no longer produce the sustained outrage or urgency they once did, with headlines appearing, officials issuing statements and security agencies launching rescue operations, only for the nation to gradually move on until another attack occurs.
An analysis of school abductions in Nigeria spanning more than 16 years shows what began as isolated incidents has grown into what security analysts describe as a “lucrative criminal enterprise,” exploited by armed groups to extract ransom from families and pressure the government.
Rudeboy has spoken out on insecurity before. When gunmen attacked worshippers in Jos during Palm Sunday celebrations in March 2026, he took to X to say Nigerians were “not angry enough” about the deteriorating security situation across the country. Tuesday’s post goes further, framing the kidnapping cycle not as a governance failure but as an active conflict that the public has stopped recognising as such.
His use of war language reflects a growing sentiment among Nigerian public figures that the language of crisis has lost its power to move institutions or citizens. Whether that view accelerates pressure on the administration of President Bola Tinubu remains to be seen.
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/rudeboy-warns-nigeria-is-actually-at-war/
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Trump Demands Muslim Nations Join Abraham Accords Now
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Read Time:2 Minute, 24 Second
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/trump-demands-muslim-nations-join-abraham-accords-now/US President Donald Trump on Monday demanded six Muslim-majority nations simultaneously join the Abraham Accords, linking the push to normalize relations with Israel directly to his effort to close a deal ending the war with Iran.
Trump said he spoke on Saturday with leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, as well as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, which have already signed the Accords. A US official told Axios that leaders on the call, especially those of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, appeared stunned by the demand, with silence falling on the line before Trump moved on.
Pakistan was the only country to respond publicly, and it said no. “Pakistan is under no compulsion to adhere to any such demand,” a Pakistani source familiar with the matter said. The source also pushed back on Trump’s framing, saying the Iran ceasefire process and the Abraham Accords were separate issues that could not be made contingent on each other.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan do not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Egypt normalized ties with Israel in 1979 and Jordan followed through a 1994 peace treaty. Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to formally recognise Israel, in 1949, though bilateral trade has been suspended since Israel’s offensive in Gaza began.
The kingdom’s longstanding position has been that it would not sign the Accords unless there is a clear agreement on a roadmap to Palestinian statehood. For Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and custodian of the two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, the step carries religious and political weight that goes far beyond diplomacy.
Netanyahu was reportedly not part of the Saturday call, and his office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump’s post.
Senator Lindsey Graham backed the proposal, describing it as a path to regional integration and economic opportunity. Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, was sharply critical, arguing Trump was packaging a fragile Iran agreement as a regional transformation deal that the underlying conditions could not yet support.
Trump has long hoped Saudi Arabia would join the Accords but the kingdom has maintained that any normalization deal requires first establishing a clear path for Palestinian statehood. The UAE and Bahrain became the first Arab states to recognise Israel in a quarter century when they signed during Trump’s first term in 2020. Morocco and Sudan followed, though Sudan’s participation has since stalled due to internal political unrest.
Trump said Iran negotiations were proceeding well but gave no indication a deal was close.
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/trump-demands-muslim-nations-join-abraham-accords-now/
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Trump Demands Muslim Nations Join Abraham Accords Now
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Read Time:2 Minute, 24 Second
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/trump-demands-muslim-nations-join-abraham-accords-now/US President Donald Trump on Monday demanded six Muslim-majority nations simultaneously join the Abraham Accords, linking the push to normalize relations with Israel directly to his effort to close a deal ending the war with Iran.
Trump said he spoke on Saturday with leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, as well as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, which have already signed the Accords. A US official told Axios that leaders on the call, especially those of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, appeared stunned by the demand, with silence falling on the line before Trump moved on.
Pakistan was the only country to respond publicly, and it said no. “Pakistan is under no compulsion to adhere to any such demand,” a Pakistani source familiar with the matter said. The source also pushed back on Trump’s framing, saying the Iran ceasefire process and the Abraham Accords were separate issues that could not be made contingent on each other.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan do not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Egypt normalized ties with Israel in 1979 and Jordan followed through a 1994 peace treaty. Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to formally recognise Israel, in 1949, though bilateral trade has been suspended since Israel’s offensive in Gaza began.
The kingdom’s longstanding position has been that it would not sign the Accords unless there is a clear agreement on a roadmap to Palestinian statehood. For Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and custodian of the two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, the step carries religious and political weight that goes far beyond diplomacy.
Netanyahu was reportedly not part of the Saturday call, and his office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump’s post.
Senator Lindsey Graham backed the proposal, describing it as a path to regional integration and economic opportunity. Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, was sharply critical, arguing Trump was packaging a fragile Iran agreement as a regional transformation deal that the underlying conditions could not yet support.
Trump has long hoped Saudi Arabia would join the Accords but the kingdom has maintained that any normalization deal requires first establishing a clear path for Palestinian statehood. The UAE and Bahrain became the first Arab states to recognise Israel in a quarter century when they signed during Trump’s first term in 2020. Morocco and Sudan followed, though Sudan’s participation has since stalled due to internal political unrest.
Trump said Iran negotiations were proceeding well but gave no indication a deal was close.
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/trump-demands-muslim-nations-join-abraham-accords-now/
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Maresca Signs Three-Year Deal at Manchester City
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Read Time:1 Minute, 46 Second
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/maresca-signs-three-year-deal-at-manchester-city/Enzo Maresca has signed a three-year contract with Manchester City, officially succeeding Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium after the Spaniard’s decade-long reign ended following Sunday’s season finale.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed the agreement runs until June 2029, with Maresca fully involved in the club’s transfer strategy from the outset.
The appointment keeps the job within the boundaries of Guardiola’s coaching tree. Maresca previously served as one of Guardiola’s assistants at City, playing a key role during the historic treble season in 2022-23 in which City claimed the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. He left to take the Leicester City job, led the Foxes to the Championship title, and then joined Chelsea, where he won the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 before departing in January 2026.
City’s hierarchy moved quickly after Guardiola’s departure was confirmed, with Maresca’s profile convincing club executives because of his deep understanding of the organisation and the experience he gained throughout his managerial career.
Guardiola, who departs after 10 years and 20 trophies including six Premier League titles and the Champions League, left his successor a parting message. “Be yourself and the club will support you unconditionally,” the Spaniard said, adding that whoever replaced him would be protected in difficult moments more than at any other club in the world.
His final season produced a domestic cup double, though City had to settle for runners-up in the league behind Arsenal. Guardiola’s last match ended in a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
The strong relationship between Guardiola and Maresca, built on a shared vision centred around possession football and tactical control, is expected to ease the transition for a squad that remains one of the strongest in European football.
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/maresca-signs-three-year-deal-at-manchester-city/
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