Nigeria’s telecommunications and financial sectors have taken a major step to protect consumers from losing money on failed airtime and data purchases. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have jointly unveiled a new framework designed to ensure that people who are debited but do not receive airtime or mobile data are refunded quickly and fairly.
The framework was developed after months of discussion between the NCC, the CBN, mobile network operators (MNOs), deposit money banks (DMBs), value-added service (VAS) providers and other stakeholders. Its aim is to tackle growing complaints from subscribers who have been charged for airtime or data that never appeared on their phones, often due to network outages, system errors, or simple human mistakes.
Under the new system, if a customer’s bank account or mobile wallet is debited for an airtime or data purchase but they do not receive the service, they are entitled to a refund within 30 seconds. This applies whether the error arises from the bank, the mobile network, or other licensed service providers. The only exception is where a transaction is still marked as “pending”, in which case the refund may take up to 24 hours.
Nnenna Ukoha, Head of Public Affairs at the NCC, explained that the framework represents a unified response from both regulators to a long-standing issue affecting millions of mobile subscribers. She said the policy includes clear roles and responsibilities for banks, telcos and other parties, backed by an enforceable Service-Level Agreement (SLA) that commits all involved to resolving errors promptly.
A key part of the plan is improved communication with consumers. The framework requires operators and banks to send SMS notifications to customers confirming whether their airtime or data purchase was successful or failed. This measure is expected to reduce uncertainty and give customers clearer information about the status of their transactions.
To strengthen oversight and ensure compliance, the NCC and CBN will jointly run a Central Monitoring Dashboard. This system will track failed transactions, identify the responsible party, monitor refunds and highlight where SLAs have been breached in real time. Freda Bruce-Bennett, Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, said the dashboard will help regulators react quickly to issues and ensure accountability across the industry.
Failed airtime and data purchases have consistently ranked among the top consumer complaints in Nigeria’s telecom sector. Many subscribers have reported lengthy delays in getting their money back, which has caused frustration and financial loss, particularly for people who rely on mobile services for banking, work, and daily communication.
Regulators say the new framework will start being implemented on 1 March 2026, once technical and administrative requirements are completed by all parties. Ahead of the full rollout, mobile network operators and banks have already refunded more than ₦10 billion to customers for failed transactions as they prepare to comply with the new rules.
The introduction of near-instant refunds and mandatory transaction alerts is expected to significantly improve customer experience and restore trust in digital airtime and data purchases across Nigeria.
