The Federal Government has commenced a new cash transfer programme offering ₦50,000 monthly to eligible vulnerable households across the country under the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI).

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, announced this in a statement yesterday describing the initiative as a presidential intervention designed to provide immediate financial relief to Nigerians struggling with rising living costs.

Doro said the programme was introduced in response to global food inflation and the increasing cost of essential goods, which continue to put pressure on household finances.

According to him, the intervention will provide direct financial assistance to millions of vulnerable households to help them meet essential needs and achieve short-term financial stability.

“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,” the minister said.

He explained that the programme would be reviewed regularly in response to changes in the cost of living, adding that beneficiaries would be notified directly before any adjustment to the payments.

The minister said the Ministry was working with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure that payments were delivered securely, promptly and transparently.

He explained that beneficiaries would receive text messages from the approved service providers requesting their consent to participate in the payment process.

Doro assured Nigerians that the messages were genuine and that payments would be made directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts or mobile wallets once consent had been obtained.

The minister said NERSI was designed to complement the Federal Government’s existing social protection and economic support programmes.

He added that the initiative reflected the administration’s commitment to providing immediate assistance to vulnerable citizens while strengthening household resilience and economic stability under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We recognise the challenges many Nigerians are facing. The Ministry is committed to delivering this intervention with dignity, transparency and accountability,” he said.

The minister, however, warned Nigerians against falling victim to fraudsters seeking to exploit the programme, stressing that beneficiaries were not required to submit applications, pay fees or register through agents to receive the financial assistance.

He also cautioned beneficiaries against disclosing their personal identification numbers (PINs) or Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) to anyone in connection with the programme.

Doro advised Nigerians who were uncertain about messages they received or were asked to make payments to access the intervention to contact the official NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222 for clarification.

The minister said the intervention would be implemented with an emphasis on transparency and accountability as the government seeks to cushion the effects of rising living costs on vulnerable households.