₦50,000 Relief: FG names 5 approved payment platforms, warns against fraud

The Federal Government has commenced the disbursement of ₦50,000 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 aimed at providing immediate financial support to vulnerable households struggling with rising food prices and the increasing cost of essential goods.

He said eligible beneficiaries would receive ₦50,000 monthly to help them meet basic needs and ease the pressure of the rising cost of living.

“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 added that the programme would be reviewed regularly in response to changes in living costs, with beneficiaries to be informed before any adjustments were made.

According to Doro, the ministry is working with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure secure and transparent delivery of the funds.

He explained that eligible beneficiaries would receive text messages from approved providers requesting their consent before payments are made 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 five 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) disclosed in a Facebook post on Tuesday that payments under NERSI were ongoing, with beneficiaries receiving notifications through their registered telephone numbers.

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

However, it did not guarantee that everyone with that status would eventually receive the cash support.

Doro stressed that beneficiaries were not required to submit applications, pay fees or register through agents to access the intervention.

He also warned Nigerians to be wary of fraudsters and avoid sharing their personal identification numbers or Bank Verification Numbers with unauthorised individuals.

The minister advised anyone uncertain about a message or approached for money in connection with the programme to contact the official NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222.