FG Begins N50,000 Monthly Cash Relief for Vulnerable Nigerians, Announces Payment Channels

The Federal Government has commenced the disbursement of N50,000 monthly cash assistance to vulnerable Nigerians under its National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI).

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, announced the commencement of the programme in a statement dated October 30 and sighted by PUNCH Online on Tuesday.

Doro described the intervention as a presidential initiative designed to provide immediate financial support to vulnerable households struggling with rising food prices and the increasing cost of essential goods.

Under the programme, eligible beneficiaries will receive N50,000 monthly to help meet basic needs and ease the pressure of rising living expenses.

“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 said.

He explained that the intervention would be reviewed regularly to reflect changes in the cost of living, adding that beneficiaries would be notified before any adjustments were made.

According to Doro, the ministry is working with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure that payments reach beneficiaries securely and transparently.

He said eligible recipients would receive text messages from approved providers requesting their consent before the funds were transferred directly into their bank 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 stated.

The approved payment providers and their USSD codes are ALAT by Wema (94523#), MoMo PSB (*6710#), NairaGram (*72600#), OPay (95520#) and Moniepoint (557327#).

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

The programme advised individuals who had not received text messages but whose eligibility status showed “NOT SELECTED” to remain patient and await the next batch of payments.

“Those who have not received an SMS but checked their status and saw ‘NOT SELECTED’ should remain patient and wait for the next batch,” the post stated.

However, the post did not guarantee that everyone whose status showed “NOT SELECTED” would eventually receive the financial assistance.

The humanitarian affairs minister stressed that beneficiaries were not required to submit applications, pay fees or register through agents to access the support.

He also warned Nigerians to be cautious of fraudsters, urging them not to disclose their personal identification numbers or Bank Verification Numbers to anyone claiming to facilitate the payments.c