The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) plans to extend phone number fraud checks to more sectors to protect consumers from risks associated with recycled numbers and compromised digital identities.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida disclosed this on Tuesday at the commission’s 95th Telecom Consumer Parliament in Lagos.
He said the expansion of the Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS), in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), would help organisations identify recycled phone numbers and those flagged for fraudulent activities.
Maida said phone numbers had become essential to accessing financial services, managing pensions and shopping online, making their security critical to Nigeria’s digital economy.
He said extending the system to more sectors would reduce the risk of unauthorised access to consumers’ accounts and services.
The NCC boss also disclosed that nearly three million subscribers had received refunds for failed airtime and data purchases under a framework developed with the CBN, telecom operators and financial service providers.
He added that 75 million subscribers had received airtime compensation for poor network service in 2026 under the commission’s Consumer Compensation Framework.
However, Maida said compensation could not make up for lost business opportunities or disrupted communication, stressing that preventing service failures remained the commission’s priority.
“Compensation matters, but it cannot recover a lost business opportunity or an important conversation that could not take place,” he said.
On data transparency, Maida said the commission’s forthcoming usage notification guideline would provide clearer information on daily data consumption, remaining balances and detailed usage breakdowns.
He added that tariff simplification measures would make bundle prices, allowances and validity periods easier to understand.
Maida also urged subscribers to report telecommunications infrastructure vandalism and advised consumers to contact their service providers first when lodging complaints. Unresolved cases could be escalated to the commission through its toll-free line, 622.
Earlier, NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management Rimini Makama said the parliament should produce practical commitments on network reliability, transparent billing and timely complaint resolution.
