The Federal Government has explained how phone numbers are selected for its ₦50,000 relief payment under the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), amid questions about how OPay, Moniepoint and other platforms identify beneficiaries.
The payment companies do not choose who receives the grant. Selection is handled by the government using verified national identity records and the National Social Register. The programme is coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
According to NERSI information, the intervention targets poor and vulnerable households. Their details are screened against government records, while the phone numbers linked to those records are used to contact selected beneficiaries.
Having an account with OPay, Moniepoint, ALAT by Wema Bank, MoMo Payment Service Bank (MoMo PSB) or NairaGram does not automatically qualify anyone. The five companies are approved payment providers. Their role is to notify selected people and deliver the money after they accept it.
Selected beneficiaries will receive an SMS from their designated provider. They must follow the instructions and reply YES or use the provider’s USSD code to give consent. The ₦50,000 is then credited to a wallet linked to the beneficiary’s phone number and National Identification Number (NIN).
Payments are being made in phases across the six geopolitical zones. Not receiving a message does not necessarily mean permanent exclusion. However, the government has not guaranteed that everyone unselected will receive a later payment.
The grant is free and is not a loan. Nobody can sell a place on the list or collect a fee to secure payment. Nigerians should never disclose their PIN or one-time password (OTP) to anyone claiming to help.
How to check
Dial your provider’s USSD code and follow the prompts: OPay, *955*20#; Moniepoint, *5573*27#; ALAT, *945*23#; MoMo PSB, *671*0#; or NairaGram, *726*00#. You can also use the provider’s official app where available. For NERSI enquiries, call 0700-022-2222.