Nigerians across the country are seeking information about which states have started receiving payments under the Federal Government’s ₦50,000 relief programme.
The National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) was launched on October 30 to support vulnerable households facing rising living costs.
According to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, beneficiaries are selected using the National Social Register and verified national identity records.
The ministry says the selection process covers Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
However, the government has not published a verified state-by-state breakdown of NERSI beneficiaries and payments in the official information reviewed.
This means claims that every eligible person in a particular state has been paid cannot presently be established from the ministry’s published figures.
Which Nigerian states are covered by NERSI?
The Federal Government says beneficiary selection covers all six geopolitical zones.
These are North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South and South West.
The nationwide selection framework means the programme is not officially restricted to one region.
However, nationwide coverage does not necessarily mean that payments have been completed in every state.
It also does not establish that the same number of beneficiaries has been selected in each state.
The ministry says selection is based on poverty and vulnerability criteria rather than public applications.
Consequently, a resident of Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Enugu or another state should not assume that everyone in their location is automatically entitled to ₦50,000.
Has FG released a list of states already paid?
The ministry’s publicly available NERSI guidance explains eligibility, payment acceptance and withdrawal procedures.
However, it does not provide a comprehensive table showing how many beneficiaries have received payments in each of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
It also does not specify the total amount disbursed in each location.
Without these figures, it is difficult to establish which states have received the largest payments or whether some areas have experienced greater delays.
Individual payment alerts can provide evidence that particular beneficiaries have received money, but they do not establish the payment status of an entire state.
Why SERAP is demanding state-by-state figures
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has asked the government to disclose the geographical distribution of NERSI beneficiaries.
In its November 7 Freedom of Information request, SERAP also sought information about funding, beneficiary selection and payment verification.
The organisation argued that public disclosure would help Nigerians assess whether the intervention was reaching those most in need.
A Premium Times report published on November 8 detailed the request.
State-level figures would make it easier to examine geographical coverage and identify potential gaps in implementation.
However, such figures would need to be interpreted alongside the programme’s eligibility criteria and the number of vulnerable households in each location.
Does living in a particular state guarantee payment?
No.
The ministry says beneficiaries are identified from existing records using poverty and vulnerability criteria.
There is no public registration process, and no individual or agent can influence selection.
Therefore, being a resident of a state where other people have received NERSI payments does not guarantee inclusion.
Similarly, the absence of publicly confirmed payments from a particular community does not prove that nobody there has been selected.
Beneficiaries are contacted directly through authorised financial service providers.
These include ALAT by Wema Bank, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint.
How to confirm your own payment status
Selected beneficiaries receive SMS notifications containing instructions for accepting the grant.
Depending on the provider, they may need to reply YES or use a designated USSD service.
The government warns Nigerians against unofficial websites claiming to provide state-specific registration or beneficiary lists.
It also says no agent can add people to the programme in exchange for money.
For enquiries, Nigerians can contact the official NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222.
The ministry’s NERSI portal provides further information.
Until the government releases a geographical breakdown, the confirmed position is that selection covers all six geopolitical zones, but the number of beneficiaries paid in each state remains publicly unclear.