Get Guardian on GoogleActionAid Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to provide details of the funding, beneficiary selection criteria and disbursement mechanisms for its proposed N50,000 cash support programme for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
The organisation said the government must clarify whether the intervention under the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) was a one-off grant or a monthly payment, noting that conflicting information had emerged from official sources.
The Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, made the demand in a statement following the announcement of the intervention by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, on October 30, 2026.
Mamedu said although direct cash assistance could provide immediate relief to households facing rising living costs, the government must ensure transparency, equity and accountability in its implementation.
He urged the government to disclose the total amount committed to the programme, its funding sources, actual releases and mechanisms for ensuring that the funds reached intended beneficiaries.
According to him, the government must explain whether the intervention is being financed through existing budgetary allocations, supplementary appropriations, savings from economic reforms or development financing.
He said the absence of a publicly disclosed programme budget, beneficiary targets and implementation timeline raised questions about the scale and sustainability of the intervention.
Mamedu noted that providing N50,000 monthly to one million households would require N50bn, while five million households would cost N250bn monthly.
He said the figures underscored the need for transparent budgeting, legislative oversight and regular public reporting.
The organisation also expressed concern over discrepancies in the description of the payment, saying while the minister reportedly described it as a monthly intervention, the programme’s official website identified it as a one-off grant.
It urged the Federal Government to resolve the contradiction and specify how long beneficiaries would receive the support.
On beneficiary selection, ActionAid said the government had indicated that recipients would be identified through the National Social Register and verified national identity records.
It, however, questioned when the register was last updated and how newly impoverished households would be captured, noting that the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) had said the register contained more than 20 million poor and vulnerable households.
The organisation urged the government to prioritise women-headed households, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, older persons and vulnerable rural communities.
It also called for accessible mechanisms through which eligible Nigerians excluded from the register could seek assessment and redress, warning against making access to social protection dependent solely on national identification documents, mobile phones or bank accounts.
Mamedu said social protection was a responsibility of government and not a political favour or an act of charity.
He added that with the 2027 general elections approaching, the government must demonstrate that beneficiary selection was based strictly on vulnerability and need rather than political considerations.
ActionAid further called for disclosure of the payment providers, administrative costs and procedures for independently verifying disbursements.
It urged the government to publish periodic reports showing the number of households paid, total funds disbursed, geographical distribution, failed transactions and complaints resolved, while protecting beneficiaries’ personal information.
The organisation also advocated third-party monitoring by credible civil society organisations to track implementation, verify payments and identify irregularities.
It called for stronger grievance mechanisms, legislative oversight and safeguards against diversion of funds and political interference.
Beyond the cash intervention, ActionAid urged the Federal Government to introduce stronger pro-poor economic and social policies to address the structural causes of poverty.
It said such measures should include investments in decent jobs, affordable healthcare, quality education, food security, sustainable livelihoods and essential public services.
According to the organisation, the success of the intervention should be measured by the number of vulnerable Nigerians reached, fairness in beneficiary selection and accountability in the management of public funds.
