Joy Agwunobi
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have jointly developed a framework aimed at protecting consumers from losses arising from failed airtime and data purchases, a problem that has become increasingly common amid network downtimes, system glitches, and human input errors.
The initiative, set to roll out on March 1, 2026, is the culmination of several months of consultations involving mobile network operators (MNOs), value-added service (VAS) providers, deposit money banks (DMBs), and other key stakeholders. These discussions were prompted by the rising frequency of failed transactions, where subscribers were debited but did not receive the corresponding airtime or data, often facing delays in resolution.
The new framework provides a clear, enforceable roadmap for resolving these complaints. It establishes a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that defines the responsibilities of MNOs, banks, and other parties involved in the transaction process, targeting the root causes of failures, including erroneous bank debits.
Under the framework, affected consumers are entitled to instant refunds within 30 seconds for transactions that fail, except where a transaction remains pending, in which case the refund may take up to 24 hours.
Consumers will also receive SMS notifications confirming the success or failure of each transaction. The framework further addresses issues such as mistaken recharges to ported numbers, incorrect airtime or data purchases, and transactions sent to the wrong phone number.
Freda Bruce-Bennett, director of consumer affairs of the NCC, said the framework will include a Central Monitoring Dashboard jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN. The dashboard will allow regulators to track failed transactions, identify the responsible parties, monitor refunds, and flag SLA breaches in real time.
“Failed top-ups consistently rank among the top three consumer complaints. Our goal is to resolve these issues as swiftly as possible,” Bruce-Bennett said.
She further noted that, pending final regulatory approval, MNOs and banks have already refunded over N10 billion to customers for failed transactions.
The framework’s implementation is expected to commence once both regulators grant final approval and technical integration by all MNOs, VAS providers, and DMBs is complete, providing a coordinated approach to safeguarding telecom consumers across Nigeria.
