The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have developed a joint framework to resolve consumer complaints arising from failed airtime and data transactions caused by network downtime, system glitches, or human errors.
According to the NCC’s Head of Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha, the framework emerged after months of consultations involving the NCC, CBN, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), and other key stakeholders, following rising cases of subscribers being debited without receiving value.
The framework establishes a unified approach between the telecommunications and financial sectors, identifying root causes of failed transactions and introducing enforceable Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that clearly define the responsibilities of banks and telecom operators in transaction delivery and dispute resolution.
Under the new rules, any subscriber debited without receiving airtime or data is entitled to a refund within 30 seconds, except for pending transactions, which must be resolved within 24 hours.
Operators are also mandated to notify customers via SMS of every transaction’s success or failure and address errors such as wrong-number recharges and ported-line issues.
The NCC Director of Consumer Affairs, Mrs Freda Bruce-Bennett, disclosed that a Central Monitoring Dashboard jointly hosted by the NCC and CBN will track transaction failures, refunds, and SLA breaches in real time.
She added that the framework is expected to take effect from March 1, 2026, subject to final approvals and full technical integration by all stakeholders.