Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has said it would delist any loan application embarrassing customers and ask Google to delete such apps from its app store permanently.
This was made in response to the persistent continued harassment and defamation being shown to Nigerians by these digital lenders. Also, it is the newest measure implemented by the Federal Government to safeguard Nigerians from the activities of these digital lenders.
Earlier in 2023, the FCCPC compelled loan apps to register with it. So far, 180 apps had got full or conditional license from the commission to operate in Nigeria. Also, Google recently announced that loan apps would not be permitted on its app store without regulatory approval.
Google announced in April that loan apps on PlayStore would lose their ability to access users’ contacts or images from May 31, 2023.
Despite this, loan apps kept harassing customers.
While talking to The Punch recently, the Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, said the commission was set to permanently shut down the activities of these apps.
He said: “We have read the stories. But we have to investigate to make sure that the evidence truly exists.
“The consequence of this, they know it, is that if any of these defamatory messages or harassments goes out again, they will be delisted, and we will ask Google to take them down permanently. But we can’t take that kind of step without knowing for sure because what we’ve found is that the loan apps that are still doing those things are not on Google.
“Most of the complaints we’ve received about these things show that the companies are not on our list/ Google. They are the ones who are using WhatsApp, APK, and other softer, below-the-radar channels to engage consumers.”
Irukera urged consumers to only take loans from approved loan apps since they were easier to detect and sanction.
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