The Federal Government has announced a new monthly cash-support programme offering ₦50,000 to eligible vulnerable households across Nigeria as part of efforts to cushion the impact of rising food prices and the high cost of living.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, announced the commencement of the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, October 30, 2026.
Doro described NERSI as a presidential initiative designed to provide immediate financial assistance to millions of vulnerable Nigerians struggling with rising costs of essential goods and services.
Under the programme, eligible beneficiaries will receive ₦50,000 monthly to help meet basic household needs. The minister said the intervention would be reviewed periodically in response to changes in the cost of living, with beneficiaries notified directly before any adjustment to the payments.
According to Doro, the ministry is working with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure that the funds are delivered securely, promptly and transparently. Beneficiaries will receive text messages from the approved providers requesting their consent before payments are made directly into their bank accounts or mobile wallets.
The minister stressed that Nigerians do not need to submit applications, pay registration fees or go through agents to access the intervention. He warned that fraudsters might attempt to exploit the announcement by demanding money from people seeking to benefit from the programme.
Doro also cautioned Nigerians against sharing their Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) or Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) with anyone claiming to facilitate payments. Anyone uncertain about a message received or approached by individuals demanding money was advised to contact the NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222.
The minister said the new intervention would complement existing Federal Government social protection and economic support programmes, with the aim of strengthening household resilience and improving the ability of vulnerable families to cope with economic pressures.
The announcement comes amid continuing concerns about poverty and the affordability of essential goods in Nigeria. The International Monetary Fund has previously called for targeted, temporary income support to protect vulnerable households from rising living costs. In an earlier report, TheDailyNewsHub examined the Fund’s position in its coverage of the IMF’s call for targeted cash transfers for Nigeria’s poor.
The scale of the challenge is also reflected in the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, which estimated that 113 million Nigerians experience overlapping deprivations in health, education and living standards. TheDailyNewsHub previously reported on the UN findings on multidimensional poverty in Nigeria.
While the government says NERSI will provide immediate financial relief, the programme’s impact will depend on the effective identification of eligible households, timely disbursement and transparency in its implementation. Details on the total number of beneficiaries, the overall funding allocation and the criteria used to select recipients were not provided in the minister’s announcement.
Doro reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to implementing the intervention with dignity, transparency and accountability, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.