By Jennete Ugo Anya
After years of consumer frustration over failed airtime and data purchases, Nigeria’s telecommunications and financial regulators are preparing to introduce a coordinated framework aimed at restoring trust in everyday digital transactions.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have jointly developed a refund framework to address complaints arising from unsuccessful airtime and data transactions caused by network downtime, system glitches, or human errors.
According to Nnena Ukoha, Head of Public Affairs, NCC, in a statement said the initiative responds to a steady rise in cases where subscribers are debited without receiving value, often followed by long delays and confusion over who bears responsibility.
For many Nigerians, purchasing airtime or data has become a routine digital activity. Yet when transactions fail, consumers are frequently left navigating a maze of banks, mobile network operators, and service providers, each pointing elsewhere for resolution. The statement noted that the new framework seeks to close this gap by creating a single, enforceable approach across both the telecommunications and financial sectors.
According to Ukoha, the framework is the product of several months of engagement involving the NCC, the CBN, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), and other industry stakeholders. These discussions were driven by the growing volume of consumer complaints and the need for clearer rules governing transaction failures and refunds.
At the heart of the framework is a shared position between the telecoms and banking industries on how failed transactions should be handled. It identifies the root causes of transaction failures and sets out the specific roles and responsibilities of each party involved, whether the failure occurs at the bank level or within a licensed telecom operator.
A key provision is the introduction of a binding Service Level Agreement (SLA) for MNOs and DMBs. Under the new rules, if a customer is debited but does not receive airtime or data, a refund must be issued within 30 seconds. In cases where a transaction remains pending, the refund period may extend to 24 hours, but no longer.
The framework also strengthens communication with consumers. Operators will be required to notify customers by SMS on the success or failure of every airtime and data transaction. It further addresses common issues such as recharges sent to ported lines, incorrect purchases, and transactions made to the wrong phone number, areas that have historically generated complaints and uncertainty.
Speaking on the development, the Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, Mrs Freda Bruce-Bennett, said failed top-ups consistently rank among the top three consumer complaints received by the commission. She noted that resolving the issue was treated as a priority, given its direct impact on millions of subscribers.
According to her, the framework also introduces a Central Monitoring Dashboard that will be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN. The dashboard will allow both regulators to monitor transaction failures in real time, identify the responsible party, track refunds, and detect breaches of service standards.
Mrs. Bruce-Bennett expressed appreciation to industry stakeholders and to the leadership of the CBN for their commitment to resolving the issue. She disclosed that, pending final approval of the framework, mobile operators and banks have already refunded over N10 billion to customers affected by failed airtime and data transactions.
The scale of those refunds highlights the financial and reputational cost of unresolved transaction failures, as well as the urgency behind the new framework. Regulators believe that clearer rules and real-time oversight will help prevent disputes before they escalate and improve accountability across the transaction chain.
Implementation of the framework is expected to begin on March 1, 2026, subject to final approval by the management of both regulators and the completion of technical integration by all Mobile Network Operators, Value Added Service providers, and DMBs.
