The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has unveiled a new collaborative framework with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) aimed at addressing persistent consumer complaints arising from failed airtime and data transactions.
Under the arrangement, subscribers who are debited without receiving airtime or data will be entitled to refunds within 30 seconds, according to the NCC.
The commission said the initiative was developed after extensive engagements involving the CBN, mobile network operators, deposit money banks, value-added service providers and other industry stakeholders, in response to growing complaints from telecoms consumers.
In a statement signed by NCC spokesperson Nneka Ukoha, the regulator explained that the framework covers transaction failures resulting from network outages, system glitches or human errors during purchases.
She noted that the agreement represents a coordinated effort between the telecommunications and financial sectors to protect consumers and restore confidence in electronic airtime and data payments.
“Where a subscriber is debited but does not receive airtime or data, whether the failure happens at the bank or with an NCC licensee, a refund must be made within 30 seconds,” the statement said.
However, the NCC clarified that in cases where a transaction is still pending, the refund process may take up to 24 hours.
The framework also requires operators to notify customers via SMS on the outcome of every airtime or data transaction. It further addresses issues such as mistaken recharges to ported numbers, wrong purchases and transfers made to unintended phone numbers.
Speaking on the initiative, NCC Director of Consumer Affairs, Freda Bruce-Bennett, disclosed that a central monitoring dashboard would be deployed to track failed transactions, refunds and breaches of service-level agreements in real time.
She said the dashboard would be jointly overseen by the NCC and the CBN, allowing both regulators to monitor compliance across the telecoms and banking sectors.
“Failed airtime and data top-ups are consistently among the top consumer complaints we receive,” Bruce-Bennett said. “This framework is part of our resolve to address such priority issues as quickly as possible.”
She added that, pending final approval by the management of both regulators, mobile network operators and banks have already refunded more than N10 billion to customers affected by failed transactions.
According to her, the framework is expected to take effect on March 1, following final regulatory approvals and the completion of technical integration by telecom operators, banks and value-added service providers.
