Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has authorised telecommunications companies (Telcos) to disconnect the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes assigned to nine financial institutions.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Due to backlog of unpaid debts, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has authorised telecommunications companies (Telcos) to disconnect the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes assigned to nine financial institutions.
The directive which was signed by NCC Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka on Tuesday, gave the affected banks up to January 27, 2025, to pay the outstanding debts or risk losing access to their USSD codes.
USSD enables banks’ customers to check balances and transfer and receive funds, among other facilities, without using the internet. It is particularly useful for owners of feature phones which lack internet access.
The affected financial institutions include Fidelity Bank Plc, First City Monument Bank, Jaiz Bank Plc, Polaris Bank Limited, Sterling Bank Limited, United Bank for Africa Plc, Unity Bank Plc, Wema Bank Plc, and Zenith Bank Plc. The regulator did not, however, state the amount of the debt owed by the nine banks.
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According to the NCC public notice, nine out of 18 financial institutions had not complied with regulatory directives.
It said while other banks have cleared their debts, the total amount initially owed by the financial institutions was reported to exceed N200 billion.
NCC added that some of the invoices have remained unpaid since 2020.
The notice read in parts; “By the information made available to the commission as at close of business on Tuesday, 14th January 2025, of a total of 18 financial institutions, the nine institutions listed below have failed to comply significantly with the directives in the Second Joint Circular of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the commission dated December 20, 2024, for the settlement of outstanding invoices due to MNOS, some since 2020.”
The affected USSD codes include 770, 919, and 822, among others, could be reassigned to other applicants if the debts remain unresolved.
The regulator noted that banks’ failure to comply with the CBN-NCC joint circular also means that they are unable to meet the good standing requirements for the renewal of the USSD codes assigned to them by the commission.
It added, “In fulfilment of its consumer protection mandate, the commission wishes to inform consumers that they may be unable to access the USSD platform of the affected financial institutions from January 27, 2025.”
The NCC emphasised that the financial institutions had been duly notified of the need for immediate compliance and warned that consumers may face service disruptions if the issues remain unresolved.
Meanwhile, data from the CBN revealed that 252.06 million transactions worth N2.19 trillion were conducted via USSD between January and June 2024.