The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecom operators to disconnect the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes assigned to nine banks due to unpaid debts.
In a statement signed by Reuben Muoka, NCC Director of Public Affairs, on Friday, the commission stated that the disconnection will take effect on January 27 if the banks fail to settle their outstanding debts.
The affected banks and their USSD codes include Fidelity Bank (770), First City Monument Bank (329), Jaiz Bank (773), Polaris Bank Limited (833), Sterling Bank Limited (832), United Bank for Africa (919), Unity Bank (7799), Wema Bank (945), and Zenith Bank (966).
This move underscores the NCC's commitment to enforcing compliance and ensuring financial accountability in the telecom sector.
“Nigerian Communications Commission hereby notifies members of the public that it is grunting approval to Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to disconnect Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) Codes assigned by the Commission to financial institutions which are indebted to the MNOs if such institutions do not settle the outstanding invoices by Monday, January 27, 2025,” the statement reads.