FG Begins ₦50,000 Relief Payments for Vulnerable Nigerians

Minister Bernard Doro says selected households will receive direct financial support, but the government’s portal describes the grant as a one-off payment and lists only three approved providers

The Federal Government has commenced the disbursement of ₦50,000 cash assistance to selected vulnerable Nigerians under its National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), with beneficiaries receiving notifications through approved financial service providers.

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The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, announced the commencement of the presidential initiative in a statement issued on Friday, October 30, 2026, saying it was designed to provide immediate financial assistance to households struggling with rising food prices and the cost of essential goods.

Doro said the intervention would provide direct support to eligible beneficiaries to help them meet basic needs and ease the pressure of living costs.

“Under this intervention, eligible beneficiaries will receive ₦50,000 monthly, providing direct assistance to help meet essential needs and ease the burden of living costs,” the minister stated.

He added that the programme would be reviewed periodically in response to changes in the cost of living, with beneficiaries to be notified directly before any adjustments.

The ministry said it was working with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure secure and transparent delivery of the funds.

According to Doro, selected beneficiaries would receive text messages from the approved providers requesting their consent before the money is credited to their accounts or mobile wallets.

“Beneficiaries will receive an SMS from one of these providers asking for their consent. This message is genuine. Once consent is given, payment is made directly to the beneficiary’s account/mobile wallet,” he said.

However, information published on the ministry’s official NERSI portal presents a different description of the payment arrangement.

While Doro’s announcement refers to a monthly ₦50,000 benefit, the portal describes the support as a one-off ₦50,000 grant. The government has not publicly explained the difference between the two descriptions.

The portal identifies ALAT by Wema, MoMo Payment Service Bank and NairaGram as the approved payment providers. It gives their respective USSD codes as *945*23#, *671*0# and *726*00#.

The official portal does not list OPay or Moniepoint among the approved NERSI payment providers, although their codes appeared in the list contained in the supplied report.

Beneficiaries are therefore advised to rely on the ministry’s published information and verify unfamiliar payment instructions through the official helpline.

The ministry also explained that beneficiaries were selected using verified national identity records and the National Social Register, with the programme targeting poor and vulnerable households across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

It said payments were being made in phases, meaning selected beneficiaries would not necessarily receive notifications at the same time.

Those who have not received messages were advised to check their eligibility through the approved providers.

The portal explains that a “not selected” notification means the individual is not included in the current payment phase, although further batches may be processed.

Meanwhile, the Youth Economic Intervention and De-radicalisation Programme (YEIDEP) said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that NERSI payments were ongoing, with beneficiaries receiving notifications through their registered phone numbers.

The programme urged those who had not received text messages but whose eligibility checks returned “NOT SELECTED” to remain patient and await further updates.

However, neither the YEIDEP post nor the ministry’s published guidelines guarantee that everyone excluded from the current batch will receive the grant in a subsequent phase.

Doro stressed that Nigerians were not required to submit applications, pay registration fees or engage agents to access the intervention.

He also warned against fraudsters attempting to exploit the programme, urging beneficiaries not to disclose their personal identification numbers, Bank Verification Numbers or other confidential banking details.

The ministry’s portal further warns that no official will request a beneficiary’s PIN or one-time password, and that nobody can pay to secure selection or accelerate disbursement.

For enquiries about the intervention, the government has provided the NERSI helpline, 0700-022-2222.

The programme is part of the Federal Government’s wider social protection efforts aimed at supporting households facing economic hardship.

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However, the differing descriptions of the payment frequency in the minister’s announcement and the official portal leave an important detail requiring clarification.