The Federal Government has clarified the process for selecting beneficiaries of its N50,000 cash assistance under the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention.
The explanation comes amid ongoing disbursements and growing public interest in how recipients are identified and what qualifies Nigerians for the financial support.
According to details published on the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction’s NERSI website, beneficiaries are drawn from verified National Identification Number records and the National Social Register.
The website states that individuals are selected from these databases before undergoing screening to identify poor and vulnerable households.
The NIN is issued by the National Identity Management Commission following enrolment. It serves as a unique means of verifying an individual’s identity and is connected to the mobile wallet used to deliver payments to approved beneficiaries.
The National Social Register, meanwhile, contains information on poor and vulnerable households across the country and is coordinated by the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office.
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NASSCO says the database contains records of more than 70 million individuals.
The registration process begins with state governments identifying their poorest local government areas and communities. Trained personnel subsequently work with residents and community leaders to identify households facing economic hardship.
Such households are digitally registered and evaluated using established poverty indicators.
Those classified within the bottom six deciles may be considered for inclusion in the National Beneficiary Register, which supports social intervention programmes, including cash transfers.
NERSI identifies enrolment with both NIMC and the National Social Register as a requirement for consideration under the N50,000 relief scheme.
However, the agency has not disclosed the precise screening indicators used to determine the final list of beneficiaries.
It also warned Nigerians against paying money or submitting applications to secure a place on the list, stressing that selection is not open to individual applications.
“You cannot apply or pay to be added,” the website states, adding that not everyone would be included in the initial phase and that beneficiaries’ information would be used specifically for the programme.
The Humanitarian Assistance Programme is described as the Federal Government’s shock-responsive cash transfer initiative designed to support poor and vulnerable households through mobile wallets.
Under the scheme, selected recipients receive ₦50,000 as a grant, which is not repayable.
The government says the selection process is determined by need and covers all six geopolitical zones, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or political affiliation.
Disbursements are also being carried out in batches, meaning successful recipients may receive notifications at different times.
PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, announced the commencement of payments in a statement issued on October 30.
Nigerians can confirm whether they have been selected through the approved payment providers by dialling the following USSD codes:
ALAT by Wema: *945*23#
MoMo PSB: *671*0#
NairaGram: *726*00#
OPay: *955*20#
Moniepoint: *5573*27#
PUNCH
