Questions have emerged over whether husbands and wives living in the same household can separately receive the Federal Government’s ₦50,000 relief grant under the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI).
The programme is designed to support poor and vulnerable Nigerian households struggling with rising living costs.
However, the government’s published guidance does not expressly state whether two eligible adults from the same household can each receive separate payments.
According to the official NERSI website, beneficiaries are selected from the National Social Register and verified national identity records based on poverty and vulnerability criteria.
The ministry has also made it clear that individuals cannot register themselves or pay to secure inclusion.
How does NERSI select beneficiaries?
The programme uses existing government records to identify eligible recipients.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction explains that selection is based on verified identity information and records contained in the National Social Register.
The intervention targets poor and vulnerable households across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
However, the government does not publish a detailed formula showing how many individuals may be selected from each household.
It also does not explain whether the selection process automatically excludes spouses living together.
This leaves an important question for families whose members may independently satisfy vulnerability criteria.
Can both husband and wife receive ₦50,000?
The official FAQ does not provide a definitive answer.
Although NERSI is described as a household-focused intervention, its published guidance refers to selected beneficiaries receiving ₦50,000 each.
It does not explicitly say that only one person per household may receive payment.
Equally, it does not promise that every eligible adult in a household will receive a separate grant.
Consequently, it would be inaccurate to claim that spouses are automatically entitled to ₦100,000 between them.
It would also be premature to state that receiving payment automatically disqualifies the beneficiary’s spouse.
The ministry would need to clarify the household-selection rule.
Does marriage affect eligibility?
The official programme guidance does not identify marriage itself as a disqualifying condition.
Instead, the government says selection is based on poverty and vulnerability.
However, household composition may be relevant to the underlying social-register records.
The publicly available FAQ does not explain how marital status, household size or the number of adults in a home affects the final selection.
For that reason, married applicants should not assume that their status guarantees or prevents payment.
The decisive factor is whether the government has selected the individual under the programme.
What about households with several vulnerable adults?
Similar questions arise in homes containing elderly parents, adult children or other relatives.
For example, a household may include an unemployed adult, a pensioner and another family member with limited income.
The official guidance does not specify whether these circumstances can result in multiple payments to the same address.
It also does not establish that all adults living in a vulnerable household are automatically eligible.
This distinction matters because NERSI supports a limited number of beneficiaries during each payment phase.
How will selected family members know?
According to the ministry, selected beneficiaries receive SMS notifications from their designated financial service providers.
These include ALAT by Wema Bank, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint.
Each selected individual must follow the instructions associated with the notification.
The government says payments require consent and are credited to mobile wallets linked to the beneficiaries’ verified details.
A notification received by one family member should not be treated as proof that another family member has also been selected.
Can a spouse collect the money on behalf of the other?
The government says the money is paid to the selected beneficiary’s phone number and should be accessed by that person.
A trusted family member may assist with dialling a USSD code, but the beneficiary must retain control of the wallet and security credentials.
The ministry specifically warns against sharing PINs and OTPs.
Consequently, spouses should not exchange sensitive wallet credentials merely because they live together.
Can households apply for additional payments?
No public registration process exists.
The government says no individual, agent or official can add names to the beneficiary list.
Families should therefore avoid websites or individuals promising separate grants for husbands, wives or other relatives in exchange for money.
For clarification on household eligibility, Nigerians can contact the official NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222.
Until the government publishes a specific rule, whether husbands and wives can both receive the grant from the same household remains an unanswered question in the public FAQ.