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.

Who is Rimini Makama?

Techeconomy provides answers to that question mostly from information available on her LinkedIn page.

Birth & Education

Rimini Makama was born in Jos, Plateau State, in the north-central part of Nigeria.

She holds an LLB from the University of Jos, Nigeria and was called to the Nigerian Bar. Rimini holds an LLM in International Law and World Order from the University of Reading, United Kingdom.

Career

Rimini is an internationally experienced senior executive known for her talent in building trusted advisor relationships with governments.

Throughout her career, she has earned a reputation as a commercially minded and politically astute leader.

Her significant contributions to transformational shifts in Africa were recognized in 2014 when she was named in the Forbes 20 Youngest Power Women Under 40 in Africa list.

From 2016 to 2023, Makama played various roles at Microsoft, notably as the Government Affairs Director for MEA Emerging Markets.

In this capacity, she was instrumental in creating a policy landscape that facilitated the adoption of public cloud technology by the public sector in various markets across MEA.

Her central role in defining a digital transformation framework for governments, placing Microsoft solutions at the forefront of public sector technology, stands out as a key achievement.

During her tenure at Microsoft, Makama represented the company’s interests on the Digital Economy Task Force of the US Chamber of Commerce and the SMART Africa Alliance.

She also became known for disseminating key messages on AI ethics, notably appearing as an AI policy expert speaker at the UNESCO Forum on Artificial Intelligence in 2018. Her efforts at Microsoft were acknowledged with the Be the Change Award, which celebrates extraordinary contributions.

Makama’s career also includes a significant tenure with Africa Practice as Communications Director for West Africa. In this role, she successfully translated the strategic communication needs of major corporations such as Uber, PayPal, CNN, Google SSA, Bloomberg LP, Sage VIP, Actis West Africa, and The African Union into effective solutions, collaborating closely with high-level government stakeholders.

Her work in positioning Blackberry in Nigeria is particularly noteworthy.

Prior to africapractice she was Principal Legal Assistant, Office of Legal Affairs – International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) in Lyon, France.

Additionally, Makama has authored numerous articles on technology and AI themes for prominent media outlets such as The Guardian, Financial Times, and Punch etc.

Rimini holds an LLM in International Law and World Order from the University of Reading, United Kingdom, an LLB from the University of Jos, Nigeria and has been called to the Nigerian Bar.

Non-professional interest:

film production (Executive Producer: Green White Green (TIFF 2016, Netflix 2017-2019, Amazon currently) & The Lost Okoroshi (TIFF 2019, BFI 2019 – Netflix Worldwide 2020-2022), and Boxing.

Rimini Makama as Executive Commissioner, NCC:

A lawyer by training, a seasoned administrator and project manager, Rimini Makama has acquired extensive experience in public policy, public affairs, governmental affairs, artificial intelligence policy and has prepared herself for the senior stakeholder management role at the Nigerian Communications Commission.