Nigerians selected for the Federal Government’s ₦50,000 relief grant may be wondering whether they can choose a preferred financial institution instead of using the payment provider assigned to them.
The National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) distributes financial assistance through five approved institutions: ALAT by Wema Bank, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint.
According to the official NERSI FAQ, selected beneficiaries receive SMS notifications from their designated providers.
However, the government has not published a general procedure allowing beneficiaries to change providers before receiving their grants.
How are NERSI payment providers assigned?
The government says beneficiaries are selected from verified national identity records and the National Social Register.
Selected individuals receive notifications from one of the approved payment providers.
The message contains instructions on how to accept the ₦50,000 grant.
The official FAQ does not explain how individual beneficiaries are allocated among the five institutions.
It also does not state whether recipients can request reassignment to another provider.
Consequently, the fact that someone already uses OPay or Moniepoint does not establish that the government will necessarily select that institution for the person’s NERSI payment.
Can beneficiaries use a different provider’s USSD code?
The government lists specific USSD codes for the five institutions.
These are:
- ALAT:
*945*23# - MoMo PSB:
*671*0# - NairaGram:
*726*00# - OPay:
*955*20# - Moniepoint:
*5573*27#
Beneficiaries are instructed to follow the code associated with their designated provider.
The FAQ does not establish that a selected person can receive the same grant through any provider simply by dialling a different code.
A recipient assigned to ALAT should therefore not assume that dialling OPay’s code will transfer the grant to OPay.
What if the assigned provider has no nearby branch?
The programme uses mobile wallets and USSD services rather than requiring every beneficiary to visit a physical bank branch.
The government says beneficiaries can access funds through POS agents or transfer money to bank accounts.
For example, an ALAT beneficiary may transfer money to another bank account or visit a Wema Bank branch.
OPay and Moniepoint beneficiaries can use the transfer services supported by their providers.
This means the absence of a nearby branch does not necessarily prevent a recipient from accessing the money.
Can beneficiaries transfer the money after receiving it?
Yes.
The official FAQ confirms that beneficiaries can transfer money from their wallets to bank accounts.
For example, someone whose grant is credited through ALAT may transfer the funds to an existing account at another bank.
However, this is different from changing the original payment provider.
The transfer takes place after the money has entered the designated wallet.
The recipient should first complete the official consent process and confirm the credit.
Does choosing another provider affect eligibility?
The FAQ does not state that attempting to check eligibility through another approved provider automatically disqualifies someone.
However, it also does not establish a provider-switching service.
The government’s instructions remain that beneficiaries should use the provider associated with their notifications.
Recipients should avoid repeatedly entering sensitive details into unfamiliar applications in an attempt to change providers.
They should also avoid individuals promising to redirect grants for a fee.
What if the provider’s code does not work?
The government advises beneficiaries to check their network signals and retry.
If the problem continues, they should contact their designated providers.
A technical difficulty should not be treated as evidence that the recipient must open an account with another institution.
The provider is responsible for explaining the available support options.
Can agents transfer a pending grant?
The ministry says nobody can influence beneficiary selection or fast-track payment in exchange for money.
The official guidance does not authorise POS agents or private individuals to change a beneficiary’s assigned provider.
Anyone offering such a service should be treated cautiously.
For general enquiries, beneficiaries can call 0700-022-2222.
The central point is that NERSI beneficiaries can transfer credited funds to other accounts, but the government has not announced a general right to switch the provider originally assigned to pay the grant.