The Federal Government has outlined the process through which selected poor and vulnerable households will receive a ₦50,000 cash grant under its National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI).
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The programme, implemented by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, is designed to help vulnerable households cope with rising living costs through direct cash transfers into mobile wallets.
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According to the programme guidelines, payments will be made through designated providers, including ALAT, MoMo, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint.
The government said the use of mobile wallets would enable financial assistance to reach beneficiaries quickly and transparently, with independent checks conducted during each payment cycle.
Selected beneficiaries will follow four steps to access the grant.
First, they will receive an SMS notification from one of the designated payment providers informing them of their selection for the programme.
They will then be required to reply YES to the message to confirm their willingness to participate. The guidelines state that no payment will 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 ₦50,000 grant will subsequently be credited to the wallet. Beneficiaries can withdraw the money through a Point of Sale (POS) agent or at a bank, or spend it directly from their mobile wallets.
USSD codes for withdrawing the grant
After their wallets have been credited, beneficiaries will receive additional SMS instructions from their respective payment providers.
The government provided the following USSD codes for accessing the funds:
- ALAT (Wema Bank): Dial 94523#.
- MoMo PSB: Dial 6710#.
- NairaGram: Dial 72600#.
- OPay: Dial 95520# or use the mobile application.
- Moniepoint: Dial 557327# or use the mobile application.
How beneficiaries will be selected
According to the programme guidelines, beneficiaries will be selected using verified national identity records and the National Social Register.
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The selection process is intended to identify poor and vulnerable households that qualify for the intervention.
The government clarified that individuals cannot apply independently or pay to be included in the beneficiary list. It also noted that not everyone would be covered in the first batch of payments.
FG warns against fraud
The Federal Government has warned Nigerians against fraudsters who may attempt to exploit the cash transfer programme by demanding money or sensitive banking information.
It stressed that participation in the programme is free and that nobody is authorised to request payment to facilitate the release of the ₦50,000 grant.
The guidelines listed three ways beneficiaries can identify genuine programme messages. Notifications must come from ALAT, MoMo, NairaGram, OPay or Moniepoint, while recipients will only be asked to reply YES or dial the designated USSD code provided by their payment provider.
The government said legitimate messages would never request payment, a Personal Identification Number (PIN) or One-Time Password (OTP), or require recipients to click a link.
Beneficiaries were also warned against sharing their PINs, OTPs or passwords with anyone, including agents and government officials.
The government advised recipients to ignore messages from unauthorised senders and contact the programme’s helpline if they were uncertain about the authenticity of a notification.
Frequently asked questions about the NERSI ₦50,000 grant
The National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention is a Federal Government relief programme designed to help Nigerian households cope with rising living costs. It is implemented by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
Each selected beneficiary will receive ₦50,000 in their mobile wallet, with the government assuring that the full amount will be credited without deductions.
The payment is a grant, not a loan, meaning beneficiaries are not required to repay the money.
Eligibility is determined through the National Social Register and verified national identity records. Individuals cannot independently apply or pay to be included in the list. Those selected will receive an SMS notification from their designated payment provider.
The government also explained that beneficiaries’ phone numbers would be obtained from the National Social Register and verified identity records and shared with the relevant payment provider solely for disbursing the grant.
It added that beneficiaries’ personal information would be used only for the programme.
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