₦50,000 Relief Fund: FG Reveals Criteria for Selecting Beneficiaries

The Federal Government has explained how beneficiaries will be selected for its ₦50,000 cash relief programme, clarifying that the intervention is targeted at poor and vulnerable households identified through verified national identity records and the National Social Register (NSR).

The programme, known as the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), is being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction to provide financial support to households struggling with rising living costs.

Under the initiative, selected beneficiaries will receive a one-off grant of ₦50,000 directly into mobile wallets operated by approved payment providers.

According to the government, the selection process involves screening information from verified national identity records and the National Social Register to identify households that meet the programme’s vulnerability requirements.

The National Social Register is a database of poor and vulnerable households across the country, while national identity records are used to verify the identities of prospective beneficiaries.

The government said the exercise is based on need and is designed to cover Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones, irrespective of their religion, ethnicity or political affiliation.

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However, it stressed that inclusion in the relevant databases does not automatically mean that everyone will receive the payment in the first phase, as disbursement will be carried out in batches.

The government also clarified that there is no public application process for the ₦50,000 grant. Individuals cannot independently register or pay to be included in the beneficiary list, and no official or intermediary is authorised to sell access to the programme.

How selected beneficiaries will receive the ₦50,000

The Federal Government outlined a four-step process through which selected Nigerians will access the financial support.

First, beneficiaries will receive an SMS notification from one of the five approved payment providers: ALAT by Wema Bank, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay or Moniepoint.

Recipients will then be required to confirm their willingness to participate by following the instructions in the message. The government said payment will not be made without the beneficiary’s consent.

After confirmation, a mobile wallet will be opened and linked to the beneficiary’s phone number and National Identification Number (NIN).

The sum of ₦50,000 will subsequently be credited to the wallet, after which the recipient can withdraw the money through a Point of Sale (POS) agent, access it at a bank where applicable, or spend it directly from the wallet.

The government said beneficiaries do not need a smartphone or internet connection to access the funds, as the approved providers have USSD options that work on basic mobile phones.

The designated codes include 94523# for ALAT, 6710# for MoMo PSB, 72600# for NairaGram, 95520# for OPay and 557327# for Moniepoint.

Beneficiaries are expected to follow the instructions sent by their respective providers.

FG warns Nigerians against fraud

The government has warned Nigerians to be wary of fraudsters seeking to exploit the relief programme by demanding money or sensitive personal information.

It emphasised that participation in the programme, acceptance of the grant and receipt of the ₦50,000 payment are free.

According to the official guidelines, genuine notifications will come from the approved payment providers and will not ask recipients to pay a fee, disclose their Personal Identification Number (PIN), share a One-Time Password (OTP), or click suspicious links.

The government urged Nigerians never to disclose their PINs, OTPs or passwords to anyone, including payment agents or individuals claiming to be programme officials.

It also warned that anyone offering to add a person to the beneficiary list, speed up payment or release the grant in exchange for money is attempting to defraud them.

Beneficiaries who are unsure about the authenticity of a message have been advised to contact the programme’s official helpline on 0700-022-2222.

Why some Nigerians may not have received the money

The government explained that the payments are being made in phases, meaning selected beneficiaries will not necessarily receive their notifications at the same time.

It also clarified that the programme is supporting a limited number of households in each phase, so not everyone will be selected immediately.

Those who have not received an SMS should therefore not automatically conclude that they have been excluded from every future phase.

The Federal Government said the full ₦50,000 grant would be credited to selected beneficiaries without deductions. The money is a grant, not a loan, and recipients are not required to repay it.

The intervention is part of the government’s efforts to provide direct financial assistance to vulnerable households amid continuing economic pressures.