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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Telecoms and banking customers may soon get instant refunds for failed airtime and data purchases as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) move to roll out a joint refund framework to address the growing complaints of debits without value.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Spokesperson of NCC, Nnenna Ukoha, on Thursday.
Under the new framework, subscribers who are debited for airtime or data but do not receive the service will be entitled to a refund within 30 seconds, except in cases where transactions are pending, which must be resolved within 24 hours.
The initiative follows months of engagements between the NCC, the CBN, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers and other stakeholders, triggered by the rising incidence of failed airtime and data transactions caused by network downtimes, system glitches and human errors.
The framework establishes a unified position between the telecommunications and financial sectors, clearly spelling out the roles and responsibilities of banks and operators, while introducing an enforceable Service Level Agreement (SLA) for handling failed transactions and refunds.
Speaking on the development, Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, Mrs Freda Bruce-Bennett, said the framework was designed to tackle one of the most persistent consumer complaints in the telecoms sector.
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“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 a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN, which will allow both regulators to track failed transactions, identify the responsible party, monitor refunds and detect SLA breaches in real time.
Bruce-Bennett added that the framework mandates operators to notify customers via SMS of the success or failure of every transaction, while also addressing issues such as erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect airtime or data purchases and transfers to wrong phone numbers.
She further revealed that, pending final approval by the management of both regulators, banks and mobile network operators have already refunded over N10 billion to customers affected by failed transactions.
Implementation of the framework is expected to commence on March 1, 2026, once regulatory approvals are secured and technical integration by all MNOs, VAS providers and DMBs is completed.
The move is expected to strengthen consumer protection and restore confidence in electronic airtime and data transactions across Nigeria’s telecoms and banking sectors.
