The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved the disconnection of USSD codes for nine banks due to unpaid debts owed to telecom operators.
This was announced in a statement by Reuben Muoka, NCC’s director of public affairs, on Wednesday.
The affected banks and their USSD codes include:
– Fidelity Bank (770)
– First City Monument Bank (329)
– Jaiz Bank (773)
– Polaris Bank (833)
– Sterling Bank (832)
– United Bank for Africa (919)
– Unity Bank (7799)
– Wema Bank (945)
– Zenith Bank (966)
The NCC noted that the banks owe telecom operators over ₦200 billion for USSD services, with some debts dating back to 2020.
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Despite a joint directive from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the NCC to settle 60% of outstanding invoices by January 2025, only a few banks have complied.
Consumers using these banks may lose access to their USSD services starting January 27, 2025, if the debts remain unpaid.
“The Commission wishes to inform consumers that they may be unable to access the USSD platform of the affected financial institutions from 27 January 2025,” the statement read.
The NCC added that it may reassign the disconnected codes to other applicants and emphasized the banks’ failure to meet renewal requirements under the 2023 guidelines for short code operations.
The affected banks have been urged to settle their debts immediately to avoid service disruptions.
