October 18, 2025
Customers complain over Issue of failed airtime recharge and data subscription purchase on electronic platforms such as bank apps and USSD, have necessitated the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to collaborate in developing a framework that will address the challenges.
This initiative is coming at the back drop of consumers complaint over the loss of money experienced due to failed transactions without a refund and in other cases, the transaction is tagged ‘pending’, leaving the customer in limbo for weeks without a resolution.
The Director of Consumer Protection and Inclusion at the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Dr. Aisha Olatinwo, who spoke during the 94th Telecom Consumer Parliament of the NCC held in Lagos, said the initiative being led by the NCC will ensure that the customers get their value for their money.
“It’s very important to understand that if a transaction failed, then the transaction has not started. So, part of what we’re working together with NCC is to ensure that from start to finish, there is a response code, so we know where the failure is, we know which participant is failing, and we assign appropriate sanctions.”
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Olatinwo added that “The consumer must get value for what they paid for. And I think at the end of the day, if we check that behavior and put in place corrective measures, you will see minimal failure points,”
Providing context into the challenges faced by customers, an Assistant Director at the NCC, Mr. Quasim Odumbaku, cited a Mastercard report, which estimated that about 91% of telecom consumers in Nigeria use electronic channels to recharge.
According to him, other reports also estimated that between 1% and 3.6% of such transactions fail, which is a serious concern to the regulator in a market where 98% of the customers are prepaid customers.
He noted that the issue of failed recharges is number two on the list of consumer-impacting complaints in the industry.
“When you look at the total market, that’s huge. 1% is not much in terms of the percentage, but it is huge in terms of actual numbers. It’s an issue that cuts across different platforms.”
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While expressing optimism that with the new framework developed by the NCC and CBN mandating Service Level Agreement for all players, the issue will be addressed, Managing Director of Credit Switch, Mr. Tayo Adigun, said the problem arose because the industry didn’t put the issues into consideration.
“The industry is ahead of itself in the sense that we had started the business before we actually had a service level agreement.
He said, “We have people who don’t have customer service or the technology or the investments you need to put in place before offering the service. But I’m very sure that once this Service Level Agreement is in place, where everybody knows what the standard is, everyone will sit up.”
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, in his keynote, said the Telecom Consumer Parliament provides a platform through which the NCC, as the regulator of the telecommunications industry, brings together key stakeholders, regulators, operators, and most importantly, consumers to engage in constructive dialogue on the pressing issues shaping the sector.
According to him, the intention was not only to use the platform to highlight the challenges identified in the industry but also to share the concrete steps the regulator is taking to address them, especially as they relate to our consumers.
