The Federal Government has started paying ₦50,000 monthly to eligible vulnerable Nigerians under its National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), a programme introduced to ease the financial pressure on low-income households.

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

According to Doro, the initiative is a presidential intervention aimed at providing immediate financial assistance to households struggling with rising food prices and the increasing cost of essential commodities.

He explained that each approved beneficiary would receive ₦50,000 every month, adding that the programme would be reviewed periodically to reflect changes in the cost of living. Beneficiaries would also be informed ahead of any adjustments to the payments.

The minister said the government had partnered with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure that the money reaches recipients through secure and transparent channels.

He noted that eligible beneficiaries would receive text messages from the approved providers requesting their consent before payment is processed. Once consent is granted, the funds would be transferred directly into their bank accounts or mobile wallets.

The approved 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 update on Tuesday that payments were ongoing, with beneficiaries being notified through the phone numbers linked to their registrations.

The programme also urged applicants who had not received notification messages but found their status marked as “NOT SELECTED” to exercise patience and await the next batch of payments.

However, the update did not confirm that everyone currently marked as “NOT SELECTED” would automatically qualify for a subsequent disbursement.

Doro further clarified that beneficiaries were not expected to submit fresh applications, pay registration charges or engage agents to access the financial support.

He cautioned Nigerians against individuals attempting to exploit the programme, warning recipients not to disclose their Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) or Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) to anyone.

The minister advised anyone uncertain about a message or approached for payment in exchange for assistance to contact the official NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222.

Source: PUNCH NEWS.