The Federal Government has begun paying N50,000 monthly to selected vulnerable Nigerians under its National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), as part of efforts to ease the pressure of rising living costs.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, announced the commencement of the payments in a statement issued on October 30, saying the initiative was designed to provide direct financial assistance to households struggling with high food prices and the rising cost of essential goods.
Under the programme, eligible beneficiaries will receive N50,000 monthly, with the government promising periodic reviews to reflect changes in the 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,” Doro said.
The minister explained that the government was working with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure transparent delivery of the funds.
He said beneficiaries would receive text messages requesting their consent before payments were transferred directly into their bank accounts or mobile wallets.
The approved providers include ALAT by Wema, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint.
Doro said beneficiaries did not need to submit fresh applications, pay processing fees or register through agents to access the intervention.
Meanwhile, the Youth Economic Intervention and De-radicalisation Programme (YEIDEP) said payments were ongoing, with beneficiaries receiving notifications through their registered telephone numbers.
It advised applicants whose eligibility status showed “NOT SELECTED” to remain patient and await subsequent batches, although it did not guarantee that all such applicants would eventually receive the payments.
The minister warned Nigerians to beware of fraudsters and avoid disclosing their personal identification numbers or Bank Verification Numbers to unauthorised persons.
He advised anyone uncertain about a payment notification or approached for money to contact the official NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222.
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