NERSI ₦50,000 Relief: Who Gets Paid, How to Accept and the 5 Providers

Introduction

The Federal Government has started paying ₦50,000 in relief to selected poor and vulnerable households under the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI). Payments go straight into a mobile wallet through one of five approved providers. You cannot apply, and you cannot pay anyone to be added.

What NERSI is

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Bernard Doro announced NERSI on 30 October 2026 as a presidential initiative. It is meant to give vulnerable households quick relief from high food prices and the rising cost of essentials. The government says it sits alongside its existing social protection programmes and does not replace them.

For scale, the World Bank said the government had paid ₦658.9 billion in direct cash transfers to 10.46 million households by September 2026. NERSI adds a new payment on top of that.

Who gets paid

Households are selected from verified national identity records and the National Social Register, and screened for poverty and vulnerability. Not everyone is in the first group. Payments go out in phases, so people are paid at different times, and the government has not published a timetable.

The five approved providers

NERSI launched with three providers. The official portal now lists five. You will be paid through the one that sends you the SMS.

The portal gives each provider its own dial code and support line. Use the code in your SMS or on the official page at fmhapr.gov.ng/nersi, not one forwarded to you.

How to accept your ₦50,000

1. Wait for an SMS from one of the five providers saying you have been selected.
2. Reply YES, or dial the code in the SMS, to accept. Nothing is paid until you accept.
3. The full ₦50,000 is credited to your wallet. Nothing is deducted.

If you are not sure you were selected, dial your provider's code and choose Check eligibility. If you chose No by mistake, dial the code again and choose Yes. OPay says eligible users may also see a notice on the app's homepage.

Monthly or one-off?

Doro said eligible households would receive ₦50,000 monthly, subject to review, and that beneficiaries would be told before any change. The official portal does not say how often the money is paid, and reports on the ministry's help-line FAQ describe a one-off grant.

The difference matters. If the payment is monthly, a household could receive ₦300,000 over six months. If it is one-off, the total is ₦50,000. The government has not said how long NERSI will run, so do not budget around future payments until you are paid.

Protect yourself from scams

• The programme is free. Never pay anyone to release, unlock or add you to the list.
• Never share your PIN, OTP, BVN or password with anyone.
• The programme never sends links or asks you to download unknown apps.
• Ignore messages from senders other than the five providers.
• Chain WhatsApp messages about NERSI are fake. A request to send back a "mistake" payment is a common trick.

If something looks wrong, call the NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222.

FAQ