In a major win for the “digital citizen,” the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have finalized a joint regulatory framework designed to end the frustration of failed airtime and data purchases.
For years, millions of Nigerians have faced a common digital nightmare: money is deducted from their bank accounts, but the promised airtime or data never arrives.
Under the new guidelines, which became fully operational in January 2026, the era of funds being stuck in “pending” status for days or weeks is officially over.
The “Refund First, Investigate Later” Mandate
The core of the new framework, according to Dr. Aminu Maida, the EVC of NCC, is a shift in the burden of proof.
On her part Dr. Aisha Isa-Olatinwo, CBN Director of Consumer Protection, said the new mandate follows a simple principle: “A failed transaction means it never began.”
Under the new Service Level Agreements (SLAs):
Immediate Reversals: For “on-us” transactions (where the bank and the platform are the same), refunds must be instant.
48-Hour Deadline: For complex “not-on-us” transactions involving multiple switches or aggregators, all parties must ensure a full refund within 48 hours,a massive reduction from the previous 14-day average.
Traceable Response Codes: Every electronic transaction must now generate a traceable code that instantly identifies whether the failure occurred at the bank, the payment aggregator, or the telecom operator.
Accountability Across the Board
Historically, consumers were often caught in a “blame game” between their banks and telecom providers. The NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, emphasized that the joint task force has now standardized operations to eliminate this ambiguity.
“Investigations showed that the absence of a standardized framework was at the root of the problem,” Maida stated during a recent stakeholder parliament. “It was literally up to every player in the ecosystem. By bringing the CBN and financial institutions to the table, we have standardized the operations around top-ups and recharge.”
Why This Matters: The Scale of the Issue
Recent data highlights why this intervention was critical:
- 91% of Nigerians now recharge their phones electronically.
- Failure rates, while seemingly small at 2% to 3.6%, affect millions of users daily in a market with nearly 170 million active subscriptions.
- For many low-income Nigerians who rely on micro-transactions, a failed N500 recharge can represent a significant disruption to their daily livelihood.
How to Resolve a Failed Transaction in 2026
| Step | Action |
| 1. Wait for Auto-Reversal | Most banks now have an automated “instant” reversal system. |
| 2. Use the Joint Short Code | A new industry-wide short code (to be launched Q1 2026) allows users to lodge complaints even without internet access. |
| 3. Escalate to NCC 622 | If a refund is not received within 48 hours, consumers are encouraged to use the NCC’s toll-free 622 channel. |
