City, Nigeria – E be like say Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) don enter new billing style wey go shock many customers. Dem announce say as from today, June 18, 2025, di N6.98 wey dem dey charge for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) go come out from your airtime balance, no be from your bank account anymore. Na so dem take send text message to customers to ginger dem for di change.
This new way of doing things no be just GTBank wahala alone, o! Na di Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) dey run this new plan, all in di name of making things beta for people wey dey use USSD. Plenti customers go sabi say for years, dem dey use bank accounts to chop USSD charges, but na now, dem don change the game wey go affect how we dey manage our airtime.
According to di message wey GTBank drop, dem talk say, “Dear Customer, please be informed that effective 18 June 2025, di N6.98 USSD fee go dey deducted from your airtime balance, no longer from your bank account. Thank you.” (As if dem fit separate us from our money so easily!)
dis na part of di move to reduce wahala wey dey happen between banks and telecoms over who go carry di bill for USSD service. As e be, di telcos dey vex say di banks dey japa with dem money without paying back, hitting an estimated debt of ₦250 billion. E no too sweet for dem, trust me.
Di NCC don see say, dis matter no fit continue like dis again, so dem introduce wetin dem call “End‑User Billing model.” Dis one mean say, banks need to first settle old debts before dem fit start to dey collect di service fee from airtime. Sabi people go dey see prompt when dem wan use USSD before dem accept make airtime chop di money from dem balance.
According to ALTON (Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria), dis new airtime billing go make sure say no wahala dey for customers when dem dey use USSD services. Dem go still dey receive alerts before any charge happen, and if your airtime no balance, den you gatz find way to refill first before you go use am. E be like sey our phone credit don turn our bank account now, abi na so e go be?
As e be now, nobody wan dey lose money on top USSD, so make sure sey your phone no dey run on empty before you use dat code wey dey take vibe money or check balance. Dis na new chapter for GTBank and other banks wey go soon follow suit. If you no fit keep up, my broda, you fit waka go find another bank wey go still dey do business di old way, but I no guarantee sey dem go last long!
So, make una shine una eyes well well as we dey enter dis new era, coz dem don change di game, and you go need dey ready for am! Dis na just di begining, so make e no pass you by.
