Senate Moves to End Airtime Rip-off, Orders NCC Probe of Telecom Operators

* Demands automatic refunds for failed calls, threatens sanctions over poor services

*Directs regulator to investigate MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9mobile, report within four weeks

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate on Wednesday moved to protect millions of Nigerians from unjustified telecommunications charges, demanding automatic refunds for failed calls and ordering an investigation into the billing practices of major mobile network operators over persistent complaints of unexplained airtime deductions.

The upper chamber specifically urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to investigate MTN Nigeria, Globacom, Airtel Nigeria and 9mobile, establish the extent of deductions arising from failed, dropped and interrupted calls, and introduce measures compelling operators to refund subscribers for services not effectively delivered.

The Senate also directed the telecommunications regulator to strengthen enforcement of quality-of-service standards and impose appropriate sanctions on operators whose persistent network deficiencies violate regulatory requirements.

The resolutions followed a motion sponsored by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, representing Borno North, during plenary on Tuesday, titled: ‘Need to Curb Unjustified Deductions from Subscribers’ Airtime Resulting from Substandard Services Through Robust Consumer Protection.’

The lawmakers expressed concern that millions of Nigerians routinely lose airtime on calls that fail to connect, terminate abruptly or suffer network interruptions, forcing subscribers to spend additional money attempting to establish successful communication.

They maintained that Nigerians should not be made to pay for telecommunications services that have not been effectively delivered, stressing that purchasing airtime amounts to payment for a service and not merely an attempt to establish communication.

The Senate observed that telecommunications services had become indispensable to individuals, businesses and institutions, with millions of Nigerians spending substantial amounts on airtime daily to meet their communication needs.

However, it noted that subscribers frequently experienced failed call connections, abrupt disconnections, inaudible conversations and network interruptions, resulting in airtime deductions without effective communication.

The chamber further observed that subscribers were often compelled to make repeated calls to achieve successful connections, thereby incurring additional expenses arising from network deficiencies beyond their control.

It expressed particular concern that seemingly small deductions, when aggregated across millions of subscribers, translated into substantial financial losses, especially for low-income earners, traders, students and small business operators.

The Senate recalled that the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, empowered the NCC to regulate the telecommunications industry, protect consumers and enforce acceptable standards of service delivery.

While acknowledging that occasional network failures might be unavoidable, the lawmakers insisted that subscribers should not bear the financial consequences of services not delivered or materially compromised by network-related failures.

Consequently, the Senate urged the NCC to investigate the billing practices of the four major mobile network operators and establish the extent of airtime deductions arising from unsuccessful, dropped and interrupted calls.

It also called on the regulator to establish an accessible and time-bound complaints and redress mechanism through which subscribers could seek refunds or appropriate compensation for unjustified deductions and persistent service failures.

In addition, the NCC was urged to introduce regulations requiring telecommunications operators to automatically reverse or refund airtime deducted from verifiably failed calls and qualifying network-related service interruptions.

The lawmakers also directed the commission to conduct independent technical audits of operators’ billing systems to ensure that subscribers were charged only for actual and properly delivered chargeable call durations.

The Senate further mandated its Committee on Communications to invite the NCC and relevant telecommunications operators to investigate the complaints, assess the financial losses suffered by subscribers and submit recommendations for further legislative and regulatory action within four weeks.

The NCC was equally asked to report to the Senate within four weeks on its investigation and proposed measures to address the complaints.

In a related legislative development, the Senate on Wednesday passed the National Senior Secondary Education Commission Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026 (SB. 1075), seeking to strengthen the administration, regulation and coordination of public senior secondary education across the country.

The passage followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary), presented by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu on behalf of the committee chairman, Senator Usman Lawal Adamu, representing Kaduna Central.

Kalu, who moved the motion for consideration of the report, was seconded by Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe, representing Adamawa South.

Presenting the report, Kalu recalled that the Senate had, at its sitting on October 28, 2026, considered the bill and referred it to the committee for further legislative action.

He described the legislation as an Executive Bill designed to address gaps identified in the implementation of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission Act No. 45, 2023.

According to him, the proposed amendments are intended to strengthen the commission’s governance structure, improve coordination between the Federal and state governments, promote accountability and facilitate the effective implementation of national education policies.

“The proposed amendments are therefore intended to address these challenges and make the Act more effective in achieving its objective,” he said.

Kalu also disclosed that the House of Representatives had considered the same bill and referred it to its Committee on Basic Education and Services for further legislative action.

He explained that this necessitated a joint stakeholders’ hearing and clause-by-clause consultation to ensure comprehensive engagement, harmonisation of positions and a uniform legislative report that would facilitate consideration by both chambers.

“The committee, in its discharge of its legislative mandate, comprehensively considered the submissions, input and opinions on the Bill,” he added.

Following the presentation, the Senate dissolved into the Committee of the Whole, considered the report clause by clause and adopted the committee’s recommendations before passing the bill.

The National Senior Secondary Education Commission is the federal agency responsible for setting standards, coordinating policies and supporting the development of senior secondary education nationwide.

Its responsibilities include supporting curriculum implementation, promoting teacher development, establishing infrastructure standards, monitoring educational performance and collaborating with state ministries of education and state senior secondary education boards.

The proposed amendments are expected to provide a stronger institutional and regulatory framework for the commission, particularly in its relationship with state governments.

The bill will, however, require the concurrence of the House of Representatives and presidential assent before becoming law.