If you’ve ever lost money on a dormant SIM, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) just decided it’s time to fix that.
A new proposal is on the table, telecom users whose lines go inactive will have a full year to retrieve their unspent airtime—so long as they can prove the line belongs to them.
At a recent forum of telecom stakeholders, the Commission dropped what could become a game-changer for millions of prepaid subscribers. This is about drawing a line between what’s fair and what’s convenient—for both customers and mobile operators.
Dr Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman of NCC, represented by Rimini Makama, Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, laid it out, stating that the days of networks quietly reclaiming your unused balance may be coming to an end.
“As the telecommunications industry continues to evolve, we must address emerging issues, including the fate of prepaid balances on inactive lines,” Maida said.
If a line is inactive for 12 months, operators must deactivate it. But instead of swallowing the remaining airtime, they’ll be required to notify the user and offer a way to reclaim it. No refund in cash, but redemption through voice bundles, data, or value-added services. The key condition? Prove it’s your line.
The new draft framework doesn’t leave much wiggle room for the operators. NCC’s Head of Legal and Regulatory Services, Mrs Chizua Whyte, put it in clear terms: “It also prohibits monetisation of unclaimed airtime, instead mandates service-based redemptions such as data or voice bundles.”
She went further, spelling out expectations. Operators will be required to audit churned accounts, report unclaimed balances, and launch public awareness campaigns. They have 90 days to fall in line once the guidelines are formalised. For the Commission, audits won’t drag—10 days max.
Whyte added, “This draft seeks to ensure that subscribers maintain rightful access to their purchased credits while operators gain clarity in their responsibilities.”
From the tone of the forum, the NCC is serious about this. The time of ghost airtime balances vanishing into your revenue books may be over. The Commission wants user rights to be taken seriously and service, not profit, comes first.
Countries like the United States, India, and members of the European Union have already outlawed the silent vanishing act of prepaid balances. Now Nigeria is catching up—and pushing even further by demanding transparency, accountability, and user education.
This is a reset because for too long, the question of what happens to airtime on long-dead SIMs has always been unanswered. Now, at least, we’re closer to one.
Hopefully, this new framework will see the light of day without objections from operators; but for once, the regulator seems ready to take the side of the ordinary Nigerian.
And about time, too.
