The Federal Government has commenced a monthly cash relief programme offering N50,000 to vulnerable households to cushion the effects of rising living costs.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, announced this in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday.
Doro said the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) was a presidential initiative aimed at providing immediate financial support to millions of vulnerable Nigerians.
He explained that the programme was introduced in response to global food inflation and the rising prices of essential goods, which have continued to put pressure on household finances.
Under the initiative, eligible beneficiaries will receive N50,000 monthly to help them meet their basic needs and cope with the rising cost of living.
The minister said the programme would be reviewed periodically to reflect changes in living costs, adding that beneficiaries would be notified directly before any adjustment was made.
According to him, the ministry is working with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure that payments are delivered securely and promptly.
He explained that beneficiaries would receive text messages from the service providers seeking their consent before the money is paid directly into their bank accounts or mobile wallets.
Doro stressed that interested Nigerians were not required to apply, pay any fee or register through agents to benefit from the programme.
He also warned Nigerians to be wary of fraudsters, urging them not to disclose their personal identification numbers (PINs) or Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) to anyone.
The minister advised anyone who received suspicious messages or was asked to pay money to access the intervention to contact the official NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222.
He said the programme was designed to complement existing Federal Government social protection and economic support initiatives while strengthening household resilience and economic stability.
Doro added that the intervention was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to implementing the programme with transparency and accountability.
