By Lukmon Akintola
The Federal Government’s N50,000 monthly cash relief programme for vulnerable Nigerians is facing questions over the transparency of its beneficiary selection process, amid concerns that access to the intervention may be concentrated among politically connected individuals.
The programme, known as the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), was introduced to provide financial support to low-income households struggling with rising living costs, food inflation and other economic pressures.
Launched on October 30, 2026, the intervention is expected to provide selected beneficiaries with N50,000 monthly to help meet essential household expenses.
However, concerns are emerging over whether the selection process is sufficiently transparent and whether the intended beneficiaries are being reached.
Some Nigerians have alleged that beneficiaries are predominantly supporters and loyalists of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), raising questions about possible political considerations in the distribution of public funds.
The allegations, however, have not been independently established, while the Federal Government maintains that selection is based on poverty and vulnerability criteria rather than political affiliation.
According to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, beneficiaries are drawn from verified national identity records and the National Social Register, with eligibility determined by established vulnerability criteria.
The ministry has also maintained that the programme does not require public applications or fresh registration, explaining that payments are being made in phases. Consequently, eligible households may not receive notifications at the same time.
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Under the arrangement, selected recipients receive text messages from approved financial service providers requesting their consent before the money is credited to their mobile wallets.
The ministry has identified five payment providers for the exercise: ALAT by Wema Bank, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint.
The intervention builds on Nigeria’s existing social protection framework, particularly the National Social Register, which is maintained as a database of poor and vulnerable households.
The National Cash Transfer Office explains that the register is built through community-based identification, household data collection and community validation before verified records are incorporated into the database. National Identification Numbers are also being integrated to improve identification and reduce duplication.
Nevertheless, the effectiveness of NERSI will depend not only on the availability of beneficiary records but also on the accuracy of the data, the transparency of the selection process and the ability of the government to demonstrate that payments are reaching the intended households.
The ministry says the intervention is free and that no individual, agent or intermediary can guarantee selection or accelerate payment.
It has warned Nigerians against paying registration or processing fees, clicking suspicious links or disclosing sensitive banking information, including personal identification numbers and one-time passwords.
Beneficiaries have been advised to use only the official USSD channels and mobile applications of approved payment providers to access their funds.
The ministry has also provided a dedicated helpline, 0700-022-2222, for enquiries and complaints relating to the intervention.
As concerns over beneficiary selection persist, greater disclosure of the programme’s implementation data, including the number of households reached, geographical distribution of payments and independent verification of recipients, could help strengthen public confidence.
Such disclosures would also provide a clearer basis for assessing whether the N50,000 monthly intervention is achieving its stated objective of cushioning vulnerable households against economic hardship.
