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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 consumer complaints arising from failed airtime and data transactions.
This was disclosed in a statement signed and sent to Daily Sun by the Head, Public Affairs Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Nnena Ukoha on Thursday.
The framework is designed to address cases where subscribers are debited for airtime or data purchases without receiving value, often due to network downtimes, system glitches or human errors.
It follows months of engagements between the two regulators and key stakeholders in the telecommunications and financial sectors, including Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers and Deposit Money Banks (DMBs).
According to the NCC, the initiative was prompted by a growing number of complaints from consumers over unsuccessful airtime and data purchases and delays in obtaining refunds.
The new framework represents a unified regulatory position by both sectors and clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in the transaction and resolution process.
Under the framework, subscribers who are debited without receiving airtime or data will be entitled to an automatic refund within 30 seconds, regardless of whether the failure occurs at the bank or telecom operator level. However, where a transaction remains pending, refunds may take up to 24 hours.
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The framework also mandates service providers to notify customers via SMS on the success or failure of every transaction. In addition, it covers issues such as erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect airtime or data purchases and transactions made to the wrong phone numbers.
Speaking on the development, the Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, Mrs Freda Bruce-Bennett, said failed airtime and data top-ups rank among the top three consumer complaints received by the commission.
“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,” she said.
She disclosed that the framework also provides for the establishment of a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN. The dashboard will allow both regulators to monitor failed transactions, identify responsible parties, track refunds and detect breaches of the agreed Service Level Agreement (SLA) in real time.
Mrs Bruce-Bennett commended stakeholders, particularly the CBN, for their collaboration in developing the framework, adding that consumers must always receive full value for their purchases.
She revealed that, pending final approval by the management of both regulators, MNOs and banks have already refunded over ₦10 billion to customers affected by failed airtime and data transactions.
Implementation of the framework is expected to begin on March 1, 2026, subject to final regulatory approvals and the completion of technical integration by all MNOs, VAS providers and DMBs.
