By ThePreview Team

 

The federal government has begun the disbursement of N50,000 cash relief to vulnerable Nigerians under its National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI).

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, announced the commencement of the programme in a statement dated 30 October, according to a Punch report.

He described it as a presidential initiative to provide immediate financial relief to vulnerable Nigerians, noting that the intervention was designed to cushion the effects of rising food prices and the high cost of essential goods on households.

“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,” he said.

He explained that the initiative would be reviewed regularly in response to changes in the cost of living, with beneficiaries to be notified before any adjustments.

He said the ministry was working with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure the funds were delivered securely and transparently.

“Beneficiaries will receive an SMS from one of these providers asking for their consent. This message is genuine. Once consent is given, payment is made directly to the beneficiary’s account/mobile wallet,” he added.

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The approved providers and their USSD codes are ALAT by Wema (*945*23#), MoMo PSB (*671*0#), NairaGram (*726*00#), OPay (*955*20#) and Moniepoint (*557*327#).

Mr Doro said beneficiaries were not required to apply, pay any fee or register through an agent to receive the support.

He warned Nigerians against fraudsters, urging them not to share their personal identification numbers or Bank Verification Numbers with anyone.

“If you are unsure about any message, or anyone asks you for money, call the official NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222,” he said.