The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have proposed that customers must receive refunds within 30 seconds for failed airtime and data purchases, in a move aimed at curbing persistent billing complaints in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
The proposal is contained in the Exposure Draft of the Joint CBN–NCC Framework for Resolution of Failed Airtime and Data Purchase Transactions, published on the CBN’s website on Monday.
Dated February 5, 2026, the exposure draft seeks to institutionalise clear accountability and establish a coordinated approach to consumer redress across the financial services and telecommunications sectors.
One of the most significant changes introduced by the proposed framework is the standardisation of automated timelines for resolving failed transactions. Currently, subscribers often experience prolonged delays when airtime or data purchases fail at the bank, aggregator, or Mobile Network Operator (MNO) level.
To address this, the regulators proposed a 30-second window for automated reversals. Section 6.0(ii) of the draft, which focuses on failed transactions related to unfulfilled airtime and data delivery, stipulates that refunds must be made within 30 seconds if the failure occurs at the bank level, at the NCC-authorised licensee level, or between the MNO and the authorised licensee.
The draft further mandates that all stakeholders automate reversal processes to ensure refunds are processed without requiring any manual action from customers.
“All parties involved in airtime and data transactions shall take the following actions to ease usage and facilitate consumer satisfaction,” the draft stated, adding that stakeholders must connect only to relevant authorised licensees of the NCC and CBN.
It also requires banks and MNOs to connect strictly to NCC-authorised licensees and approved digital channel partners for airtime and data vending. According to the draft, notifications of failed transactions will create final settlement obligations between MNOs and NCC-authorised licensees.
The framework empowers both regulators to audit stakeholder compliance jointly or independently at quarterly intervals or as may be determined.
To strengthen oversight, the CBN and NCC are proposing the creation of a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be jointly hosted by both agencies. The dashboard will track reversals, Service Level Agreement breaches, and customer complaints in real time.
“There shall be a Central Monitoring Dashboard hosted by CBN/NCC for tracking reversals, SLA breaches, and customer complaints,” the draft stated. “This will facilitate the establishment of a real-time national Failed Transactions Dashboard with uniform error codes and end-to-end visibility across the value chain.”
The initiative is designed to eliminate the recurring problem of unclear liability, where banks and telecom operators often shift blame for failed recharges. To support this, banks and MNOs will be required to maintain and share daily reports detailing successful and failed transactions.
The proposed framework also addresses issues arising from recharges made to ported phone numbers. Under the draft rules, MNOs must validate phone numbers against the ported number database before processing any recharge. Where a number is identified as ported out or invalid, the system must automatically stop the transaction and return a failure code to the bank to prevent customer debit.
For erroneous recharges sent to the wrong recipient, the framework outlines clear recovery procedures. For transactions below ₦20,000, MNOs must seek the recipient’s consent before reversing the funds. For amounts above ₦20,000, an affidavit of indemnity or a notarised letter will be required to process recovery.
The CBN and NCC signalled a firm stance on enforcement, warning that penalties would be imposed for any breach of the framework. Both agencies are expected to conduct joint quarterly audits of banks, payment service providers and MNOs to ensure compliance.
Banks and other financial institutions have until February 10, 2026, to submit feedback on the exposure draft before it is finalised. Once implemented, the framework is expected to significantly restore subscriber confidence in Nigeria’s digital financial and telecommunications ecosystem.
