Beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s Household Prosperity and Empowerment (HoPE) Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme are reportedly receiving fresh payment alerts through Fortis, with the latest notification indicating that a first-round payment of ₦25,000 has been credited.
A message circulated to beneficiaries explained that the alerts form part of an SMS solution introduced during the first transfer and beneficiary outreach. The arrangement allows Payment Service Providers (PSPs) to send credit notifications directly to beneficiaries.
According to the message, Fortis has started notifying beneficiaries under its payment arrangement that their first-round funds have been credited to account numbers created for them by the Federal Government.
However, the alert should not be mistaken for confirmation that debit cards are ready. The message specifically warned beneficiaries not to visit their State Offices to collect cards yet, adding that Fortis is still processing the card arrangements.
It further explained that the credited funds are held in the accounts created for beneficiaries and that the SMS is only a payment notification. It did not announce a date for card collection.
A collection timetable is expected to be prepared for each Local Government Area (LGA), allowing beneficiaries to know when they can access their debit cards. Fortis is expected to communicate further information when it arrives in each state and the cards are ready.
Recipients were advised to retain the alert for subsequent programme communication and instructions.
What beneficiaries should do
Beneficiaries of the HoPE CCT programme who receive the ₦25,000 alert are advised to keep the SMS and wait for further instructions. They should not rush to State Offices or assume that the cards are available for collection. They should follow announcements from programme coordinators and wait for the LGA collection timetable. The payment alert alone does not confirm card readiness.