The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank are proposing regular compliance audits of banks and mobile operators as well as mandatory 24-hour refunds in an effort to stop airtime and data transaction failures that deprive millions of subscribers of service.
In an effort tackle the growing problem of unsuccessful airtime and data transactions, which have left customers disgruntled after payments are cleared without service, the CBN and the NCC introduced a collaborative framework.
About one in three of the more than 170 million telecom customers had unsuccessful airtime or data transactions in 2025, according to NCC data, reflecting how common the problem has grown among mobile customers.
In a joint statement, the regulators outlined stricter consumer protection rules that would, for the first time, hold banks, mobile network operators and licensed vendors directly accountable for mistaken or failed transactions.
Under the plan, purchased airtime or data must be reversed within 24 hours of a complaint, while wrong-number transfers will follow value-based thresholds.
Transactions of ₦20,000 ($14.64) and above will require an indemnity affidavit before reversal, while smaller amounts between ₦1,000 ($0.73) and ₦20,000 ($14.64) will depend on recipient consent facilitated by operators.
To tighten oversight, both regulators will conduct quarterly or periodic joint audits of banks, telcos, payment providers and other ecosystem players to verify compliance with service-level agreements and consumer protection standards.
A central monitoring dashboard will track reversals, complaints and breaches across the value chain, while companies must publish quarterly performance scorecards. Unresolved disputes can be escalated to the CBN or NCC after five working days.
The proposal, released for public comment, marks one of the most coordinated efforts yet to standardise refunds, close regulatory gaps and restore trust in Nigeria’s fast-growing digital payments and telecoms ecosystem.
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