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The Nigerian Communications Commission has proposed a 12-month grace period for subscribers to recover unused call time on the deactivated line.
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This aims to balance consumer rights with the operational reality of the telecom sector.
The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has proposed a 12-month grace period for subscribers to resume unused call times when deactivated.
The proposal was revealed at the Virtual Stakeholder Engagement Forum in Abuja.
Dr. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman and CEO of the NCC, stressed that the program aims to balance consumer rights with the operational reality of the telecommunications sector.
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He highlighted the important role of the industry in driving Nigeria’s economic growth, financial inclusion and digital transformation.
“The debate remains whether operators should be required to refund unused call times, or whether they should prevail, and our goal is to establish a framework to protect consumers while ensuring the industry’s continued efficiency and competitiveness,” Maida said.
Suggested framework
This framework is aimed at unclaimed recharges for unowned accounts. Under the 2024 Quality of Service Business Rules, a six-month prepaid line without revenue-generating activities must be deactivated, and if inactivity lasts for six months, the line may be recycled.
Subscribers who have deactivated the line will have a year to restore unused call time as long as they can verify ownership.
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Mrs. Chizua Whyte, head of legal and regulatory services at NCC, outlines key provisions of the draft guidelines
12 months window
As long as they can prove ownership, affected subscribers can recover unused top-ups.
The operator must thoroughly review all lost figures and submit documents in unclaimed replenishment to ensure transparency.
Unclaimed call times cannot be converted to cash, but should be provided through service options such as voice, data plans, or other value-added services in the primary network.
