The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria [NCSCN] has pushed back against recent allegations of “data theft and fraudulent billing” leveled against Mobile Network Operators by activist Omoyele Sowore, revealing that the Nigerian Communications Commission issued a directive for direct consumer compensation as far back as March 29, 2026.
In a press conference held Thursday in Abuja, NCSCN Executive Director Amb. Blessing A. Akinlosotu said the NCC’s Consumer Compensation Framework mandates all MNOs to repay subscribers affected by network glitches, failures, or poor service — a full month before Sowore’s public campaign.
“While we agree there are occasional, genuine consumer complaints, a balanced judgment requires full disclosure of regulatory actions already taken,” Akinlosotu stated.
The Council confirmed that MTN has begun complying with the directive. “We can confidently confirm MTN has started paying some consumers. I am among the recipients so far,” Akinlosotu disclosed, adding that proof of payment would be released after the briefing. He stressed that the payments predate Sowore’s press statements.
Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and former AAC presidential candidate, had accused MNOs, specifically MTN, of “economic sabotage” and called for nationwide protests and picketing of the NCC and telco offices.
NCSCN revealed its leadership attended one of the protest planning meetings, where the NCC was accused of complacency and MNOs were condemned for “deliberate defrauding” of subscribers.
The Council, however, urged caution. “We see nothing wrong in unavoidable peaceful protests,” Akinlosotu said, “but we insist on exhaustive dialogue and unbiased consultations before resorting to confrontation. Dialogue should only fail before protest begins.”
a standing forum of CSOs, consumer associations, and service providers — as the appropriate channel for resolving grievances.
According to NCSCN, the NCC’s March 29 directive requires telcos to compensate affected users from fines imposed for quality of service breaches. Payments will come as airtime credits, calculated using subscribers’ average spending and their location in LGAs where outages occurred.
The framework runs alongside existing sanctions that impose monetary fines on erring operators. “This latest move aims to directly benefit end-users who experience dropped calls, slow data speeds, or extended outages,” the Council explained.
NCSCN called on stakeholders to focus on monitoring implementation and transparency rather than inflaming tensions. “The NCC has acted. The compensation mechanism is in motion. What is needed now is sustained dialogue,” Akinlosotu concluded.
Attempts to reach Comrade Sowore for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.