The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced its approval for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to disconnect Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes assigned to financial institutions with outstanding debts. The disconnection will take effect if the institutions fail to settle their overdue invoices by Monday, January 27, 2025.
The Commission stated that it will recover the affected USSD codes and may reassign them to other applicants in line with existing regulatory frameworks. This development was disclosed by Mr. Reuben Mouka, Director of Public Affairs at the NCC, in a public notice titled “Notice Of Approval To Telecommunications Companies To Withdraw USSD Services To Debtor Financial Institutions”, issued on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
The affected financial institutions include;
1.Fidelity Bank Plc – 770
2.First City Monument Bank – 329
3. Jaiz Bank Plc – 773
4.Polaris Bank Limited – 833
5.Sterling Bank Limited – 822
6.United Bank for Africa Plc – 919
7.Unity Bank Plc – 7799
8.Wema Bank Plc – 945
9. Zenith Bank Plc – 966
Mr. Mouka emphasized the NCC’s commitment to consumer protection, warning that customers might lose access to the USSD platforms of the affected financial institutions from January 27, 2025.
The Commission revealed that, as of Tuesday, January 14, 2025, nine out of 18 financial institutions had failed to comply significantly with directives outlined in a joint circular issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and NCC on December 20, 2024. These directives required the settlement of outstanding debts owed to MNOs, some of which date back to 2020.
The NCC noted that the inability of these institutions to adhere to the CBN-NCC joint circular also disqualifies them from meeting the “Good Standing” requirements for renewing their assigned USSD codes.
In accordance with the NCC’s Guidelines on Short Code Operation in Nigeria, 2023, the affected institutions have been duly notified of the urgent need for compliance. The regulator underscored that failure to settle the debts will result in the recovery and reassignment of the USSD codes.
This decisive step highlights the NCC’s role in ensuring fair operations within the telecoms sector while maintaining its core focus on consumer rights and service delivery.
