by George Ozalla
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have concluded plans to roll out a joint refund framework aimed at resolving persistent consumer complaints arising from failed airtime and data transactions across telecommunications and banking platforms.
According to a press statement signed by the Head, Public Affairs of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Nnenna Ukoha, the framework is designed to address cases where subscribers are debited for airtime or data purchases without receiving value due to network downtimes, system glitches or human input errors.
The initiative follows months of engagements involving the NCC, the CBN, mobile network operators, value added service providers, deposit money banks and other stakeholders, prompted by a growing number of complaints over unsuccessful transactions and delayed resolutions.
The framework represents a unified position by both the telecommunications and financial sectors and clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in airtime and data transactions. It introduces an enforceable service level agreement for mobile network operators and banks, outlining timelines and accountability in the resolution process.
Under the new arrangement, subscribers who are debited without receiving airtime or data will be entitled to a refund within 30 seconds, whether the failure occurs at the bank level or with an NCC licensee. In situations where a transaction remains pending, refunds may take up to 24 hours. Operators are also required to notify consumers via SMS on the success or failure of every transaction.
The framework further covers cases of erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect purchases and transactions made to wrong phone numbers.
Speaking on the development, the Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett, said failed top-ups remain one of the top three consumer complaints received by the Commission, adding that the regulators were determined to address the issue within the shortest possible time.
She disclosed that the framework establishes a central monitoring dashboard to be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN, enabling both regulators to monitor transaction failures, identify the responsible party, track refunds and detect service level breaches in real time.
Mrs. Bruce-Bennett also revealed that, pending final approval of the framework, mobile network operators and banks have already refunded customers over 10 billion naira for failed transactions.
She added that implementation of the framework is expected to commence on March 1, 2026, subject to final management approvals by both regulators and the completion of technical integration by all operators, service providers and banks.
The Nigerian Communications Commission is the federal agency responsible for regulating the telecommunications industry in Nigeria, while the Central Bank of Nigeria oversees monetary policy and the country’s financial system.
