By John Umeh
Nigerian telecom subscribers may soon receive instant refunds for failed airtime and data transactions, as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) propose a new rule mandating reversals within 30 seconds.
The proposal is contained in a newly released Exposure Draft of the Joint CBN–NCC Framework for the Resolution of Failed Airtime and Data Purchase Transactions, published on the CBN’s website on Monday.
Dated February 5, 2026, the draft framework aims to eliminate persistent billing disputes by introducing clearer accountability and a unified consumer protection process between banks, payment platforms, and mobile network operators.
A key feature of the proposal is the adoption of automated, standardised timelines for resolving failed transactions—an area that has long frustrated customers who often wait hours or days to recover funds lost during unsuccessful recharges.
Under the new framework, refunds must be processed automatically within 30 seconds if a transaction fails at any stage, including the bank, an authorised aggregator, or the mobile network operator. The draft explicitly states that reversals must occur without requiring customers to lodge complaints or follow up manually.
To achieve this, all stakeholders will be required to fully automate their refund systems and connect only to platforms authorised by the CBN and NCC. Banks and MNOs will also be restricted to working exclusively with approved digital channel partners for airtime and data vending.
The regulators further noted that any transaction failure notification would trigger an immediate settlement obligation between the relevant parties, eliminating the common practice of blame-shifting between banks and telecom operators.
To strengthen oversight, the framework proposes the creation of a Central Monitoring Dashboard jointly managed by the CBN and NCC. The platform will track failed transactions, refund timelines, service-level breaches, and customer complaints in real time, providing end-to-end visibility across the transaction chain.
According to the draft, the dashboard will operate as a national “Failed Transactions Dashboard” with standardised error codes, enabling regulators to quickly identify points of failure and enforce compliance.
The framework also tackles the frequent issue of failed recharges linked to ported phone numbers. Under the proposal, mobile operators must verify numbers against the national porting database before completing any recharge. If a number is identified as invalid or ported out, the system must halt the transaction and immediately return a failure code to prevent customer debit.
For cases where airtime or data is mistakenly sent to the wrong recipient, the draft outlines clear recovery procedures. Transactions valued below ₦20,000 will require the recipient’s consent before reversal, while amounts exceeding ₦20,000 will necessitate an affidavit of indemnity or a notarised request.
Both the CBN and NCC signalled a strict enforcement approach once the framework takes effect. The regulators plan to conduct joint quarterly audits of banks, payment service providers, aggregators, and mobile network operators, warning that sanctions will be imposed for any violations.
Stakeholders, including financial institutions and telecom operators, have been given until February 10, 2026, to submit feedback on the exposure draft ahead of its final adoption.
Once implemented, the framework is expected to significantly improve consumer confidence and reduce disputes within Nigeria’s increasingly digital payments and telecommunications ecosystem.
