The Federal Government has issued clear guidelines on how citizens chosen for its N50,000 relief grant can confirm their eligibility and collect their funds, according to Punch.
The initiative, known as the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention, is handled by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction. The programme aims to help households handle rising living expenses by sending money straight to mobile wallets handled by five licensed payment companies.
Officials stated that the N50,000 payment is a direct grant rather than a loan, meaning recipients will not be asked to pay back any part of it. The authorities also confirmed that the full amount will reach beneficiaries without any deductions, and people do not need internet access or a smartphone to claim the funds.
Recipients were chosen directly from the National Social Register alongside verified national identity data. The government clarified that individuals cannot apply directly or pay anyone to get on the roster, as beneficiaries were selected based strictly on need across all six geopolitical zones without regard to political ties, religion, or ethnic origin.
Selected individuals will receive official text messages from one of five approved payment operators: ALAT, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay, or Moniepoint. The text will feature a specific USSD code that the recipient must dial to accept the support package, open their mobile wallet, and trigger the deposit.
The government warned the public that officials will never request sensitive banking details, such as one-time passwords, Bank Verification Numbers, or account PINs. All personal information remains protected under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and is only transferred to payment partners to facilitate transfers, which are being rolled out in batches.
