In order to address ongoing issues with airtime and data purchase transactions, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission have suggested regular joint audits of banks, telecom providers, and other ecosystem participants under a new national framework.

On February 5, 2026, the authorities jointly released an exposure document outlining the plan in response to the growing number of consumer complaints regarding unsuccessful airtime and data purchases that result in bank account debits without service delivery.


The new framework aims to improve consumer redress methods, enforce uniform dispute resolution timescales, and firmly establish unambiguous accountability throughout the financial and telecoms value chains.

In accordance with the framework, the CBN and NCC would conduct quarterly or as needed compliance audits of stakeholders, either in tandem or separately.

"The NCC and CBN will audit Stakeholder compliance jointly or individually at quarterly or other intervals as may be determined," the statement posted on the CBN's website on Monday stated.

Banks, mobile network operators, payment service providers, retailers, and NCC-authorized licensees engaged in data and airtime vending will all be subject to the audits.

Verifying adherence to service level agreements, evaluating operational capability, and guaranteeing adherence to consumer protection requirements are the goals.

The regulators also intend to introduce routine audits of partners to confirm that only duly licensed and authorised entities participate in airtime and data transactions.

The move is aimed at addressing system weaknesses linked to unlicensed intermediaries and poor platform integrations.

The framework further empowers the CBN and NCC to sanction operators where breaches occur, extending enforcement beyond voluntary compliance.

A central feature of the proposal is the adoption of unified service level agreements with firm timelines for transaction processing and reversals.

According to the draft, banks, NCC-licensed organisations, and mobile network providers must be notified in real-time when a transaction fails. Once a failure is verified, clients should expect automated refunds in a matter of seconds.

In order to prevent multiple debits during network outages, the framework limits banks to two transaction re-attempts. It also mandates prompt consumer notifications regarding whether transactions are successful, failed, or pending.

The regulators hope to remove transaction status uncertainty, which has historically hindered refunds, by using standardised response codes and end-to-end system visibility.

The draft framework suggests creating a central monitoring dashboard that the CBN and NCC will jointly host in order to improve supervision and accountability.