The Federal Government has started a new cash support scheme that will pay ₦50,000 every month to eligible vulnerable households, describing it as a response to rising food prices and the higher cost of basic goods. The opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has quickly dismissed the programme as a pre-election gimmick, setting up a fresh political fight over economic hardship just months before the 2027 general elections.
What the government announced
The scheme is called the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI). According to Premium Times and Economy Post, it was announced on Friday in Abuja by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, who described it as a presidential initiative of President Bola Tinubu.
The minister said eligible beneficiaries will receive ₦50,000 a month to help them cover essential needs. He linked the intervention to global food inflation and higher commodity prices, which have squeezed household incomes across the country.
The ministry said the amount will be reviewed from time to time in line with changes in the cost of living, and that beneficiaries will be told directly before any adjustment. It presented NERSI as an addition to existing federal social protection programmes, not a replacement for them.
How payments will work
According to the ministry’s statement, payments will be made through licensed digital financial service providers. Selected beneficiaries will first receive a text message from a provider asking for their consent before money is paid into their bank account or mobile wallet.
The government stressed that there is no application form, no registration fee and no need for agents or middlemen. It warned Nigerians never to share their PIN or Bank Verification Number (BVN) with anyone, including people who claim to represent the government or a payment company. Anyone who gets a suspicious message or is asked to pay money has been directed to call the official NERSI helpline, 0700-022-2222.
Several key details have not yet been made public. Reports by Premium Times and Economy Post note that the government has not said how many households will benefit, how much the programme will cost, where the money will come from, or how long the payments will last.
ADC: “too little, too late”
The ADC, whose presidential candidate is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, rejected the scheme in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, ThisDay reported. The party said the programme was driven by political desperation rather than real concern for Nigerians suffering under the government’s economic policies.
Abdullahi questioned how far ₦50,000 can go given the sharp rise in petrol and food prices, and asked why such support was not built into the reform programme from the start. He described the move as “too little, too late.”
The party also pointed to earlier promises it says were not delivered, including a $1 billion social intervention fund announced in August and a pledge of cheaper inter-state transport by October 1. It referred to an Auditor-General’s report that raised questions about billions of naira in earlier cash transfers and warned that the new fund could be diverted for partisan purposes. ThisDay said the government had not responded to the ADC’s claims as of its report.
Background: a string of relief measures
NERSI comes days after the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress agreed a ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance for workers for six months from November. That measure also drew criticism from the opposition, with Atiku’s campaign arguing that it left out private-sector workers and traders.
Nigeria has run cash transfer programmes for years. Under the Tinubu administration, the government has said it aims to reach 15 million poor households with conditional cash transfers, though the earlier payments were much smaller than the new ₦50,000 figure. Critics, including civil society groups, have repeatedly called for clearer beneficiary lists and independent audits.
What happens next
Attention will now turn to how quickly the first payments reach households, how beneficiaries are selected, and whether the government publishes the programme’s budget and size. With the 2027 elections approaching, the scheme is likely to remain a campaign issue, and fraudsters may try to exploit it. Households are advised to rely only on official channels and the NERSI helpline.
Sources: Premium Times, ThisDay, Economy Post, Leadership.