In a major win for consumer rights, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and banks have refunded over ₦10 billion to subscribers for failed airtime and data transactions, a statement, signed by Nnenna Ukoha, Head of Public Affairs at the NCC has disclosed.
This comes as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) prepare to launch a new regulatory framework on March 1, 2026, designed to end the era of “debited without value” complaints.
The framework is the result of months of collaboration between financial and telecommunications regulators, banks, and service providers. It aims to eliminate the delays consumers face when airtime or data purchases fail due to network glitches, system downtimes, or human error.
Under the new guidelines:
- Most failed transactions must be refunded within 30 seconds.
- In cases where a transaction remains “pending,” the refund must be processed within a maximum of 24 hours.
- Operators are now required to notify consumers via SMS of the success or failure of every single transaction.
- The framework also provides protocols for erroneous recharges to ported lines or transactions made to incorrect phone numbers.
To ensure compliance, the NCC and CBN will co-host a Central Monitoring Dashboard. This technical tool will allow regulators to track failures and refunds in real-time, making it easy to identify which party—the bank or the telecom provider—is responsible for a breach of the Service Level Agreement (SLA).
Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett, Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, highlighted that failed top-ups have long been a “top three” consumer grievance.
“Failed top-ups rank among the top three consumer complaints, and in line with our commitment to addressing these priority issues, we were determined to resolve it within the shortest possible time,” Bruce-Bennett stated.
She further revealed the scale of the progress made during the pilot phase:
“So far, pending the approval of management of both regulators on the framework, MNOs and banks have collectively made refunds of over N10 billion to customers for failed transactions.”
The full rollout is scheduled for March 1, 2026, following final management approvals and the conclusion of technical integration across all MNOs, Value Added Service (VAS) providers, and Deposit Money Banks (DMBs).
The statement, emphasized that the framework represents a unified stance by both the financial and telecom sectors to prioritize the Nigerian consumer.