The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecom operators to comply within a 90-day period with the long-standing issue of unclaimed and unused subscriber recharges.
The directive was issued at an announcement during a high-level virtual stakeholders’ forum on Tuesday to conclude new consumer protection regulations in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
On behalf of the NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, the Executive Commissioner of the Commission for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said the decision was made so that consumers do not lose their prepaid credit due to prolonged line inactivity.
“With the exponential growth in mobile subscriptions and the dominance of prepaid plans, it has become necessary to safeguard consumer interests from being eroded by forfeiture of unused credit,” Dr. Maida stated.
The Commission once again reminded subscribers that they can reclaim unused airtime within 12 months if they can establish ownership of the line.
According to the current Quality of Service Business Rules, prepaid lines that are not subject to any revenue-generating activity for six months are deactivated and can be recycled after a further six months.
Draft guidelines were read by Mrs. Chizua Whyte, Head of Legal and Regulatory Services in the NCC, compelling telecom operators to audit all the churned numbers and guarantee that subscribers are refunded through service alternatives.
She warned that commercialisation of forfeited airtime will be strictly prohibited, and that any operator that fails to comply within the 90-day timeframe following the release of the final guidance will be liable to regulatory audit and sanctions.
The NCC reaffirmed its commitment to a transparent, accountable, and consumer-centric regulatory ambience in Nigeria’s telecoms industry.
