FG lists states for N50,000 NERSI relief, releases USSD codes for OPay, Moniepoint, others

The Federal Government has confirmed that its N50,000 National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention, NERSI, covers vulnerable households in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction said beneficiaries were picked using poverty and vulnerability criteria from the National Social Register and verified national identity records.

All states covered

The ministry disclosed this in a statement on Friday by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Janet Mcdickson Noah. It listed the states across the six geopolitical zones as follows:

South-West: Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti.

South-East: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.

South-South: Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers.

North-Central: Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau, alongside the FCT.

North-East: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.

North-West: Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.

The ministry stressed that selection was based on need rather than religion, ethnicity or political affiliation.

How to confirm eligibility

Selected beneficiaries will receive text messages from one of five approved payment providers: ALAT, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint. The message will identify the provider and contain a USSD code to confirm eligibility and accept the grant.

Nigerians can also dial their provider's official USSD code directly and select the eligibility-check option. The codes listed are ALAT by Wema: 94523#, MoMo PSB: 6710#, NairaGram: 72600#, OPay: 95520# and Moniepoint: 557327#.

Beneficiaries must accept the offer before the money is credited to their mobile wallets. The government said anyone who mistakenly selects the 'No' option can dial the code again and change the response to 'Yes'. Failure to accept the offer means the beneficiary will not receive the payment.

What beneficiaries should know

The process does not require a smartphone or internet connection. The USSD codes work on basic mobile phones. Beneficiaries can withdraw through POS agents by transferring funds from their mobile wallets. They can withdraw the full N50,000, take part of the money or transfer it to any bank account.

The government has warned Nigerians against fraudsters seeking to steal personal and financial information through the relief programme. It stressed that the N50,000 payment is a grant, not a loan, and beneficiaries will receive the full amount without deductions. Payments will be made in phases, so selected beneficiaries may not receive notifications at the same time.

For beneficiaries, accepting the offer on the USSD code is the step that triggers payment. POS agents are also part of the cash-out route named by the government.