The Federal Government of Nigeria has commenced the disbursement of N50,000 cash relief to vulnerable Nigerians under its National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI). This initiative is a presidential effort aimed at providing immediate financial relief to households facing rising living costs. The programme targets eligible beneficiaries who will receive monthly payments to help meet essential needs.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, announced the start of the programme, describing it as a crucial intervention to ease the burden of living costs. He stated that the initiative would be reviewed regularly in response to changes in the cost of living. The government is collaborating with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure secure delivery of the relief funds.
The disbursement process involves beneficiaries receiving an SMS requesting their consent before payment is credited to their mobile wallet or account. The government has identified approved providers and USSD codes for the programme, including MoMo Payment Service Bank, ALAT by Wema Bank, NairaGram, OPay, and Moniepoint. Beneficiaries have reported receiving SMS alerts and credit alerts after consenting to the payments.
Some early beneficiaries reported receiving SMS alerts from MoMo, ALAT, and NairaGram, days before noticing the credits in their accounts. For OPay, eligible customers will see a pop-up notification on the app homepage; if not visible, they are not currently selected. OPay emphasized that it does not determine eligibility for the programme.
The Federal Government has clarified that the programme does not require any application, registration form, or payment to agents. Beneficiaries are selected automatically from verified national records, including the National Social Register. Disbursement is being carried out in phases or batches. If a person checks and gets "You are currently not selected to receive this relief support" or "NOT SELECTED", it does not imply permanent exclusion.
The government has warned against fraudsters and emphasized that the programme is free. No one is authorized to demand money, PIN, OTP, or BVN from beneficiaries. Beneficiaries are advised to follow instructions from genuine SMS from approved providers and contact the official NERSI helpline if unsure about any message.
The Youth Economic Intervention and De-radicalisation Programme (YEIDEP) also posted that those seeing "NOT SELECTED" should remain patient and wait for the next batch. The Federal Government's initiative aims to provide direct assistance to vulnerable households, and eligible beneficiaries are encouraged to wait for their turn if not selected in the current batch.
Key points
- The programme provides N50,000 monthly to eligible beneficiaries to help meet essential needs and ease the burden of living costs.
- Beneficiaries are selected automatically from verified national records, including the National Social Register.
- The programme is free, and beneficiaries should be cautious of fraudsters demanding money or sensitive information.
