The Federal Government has explained how Nigerians are selected for its ₦50,000 cash relief grant under the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), amid growing public interest in the ongoing disbursement.

According to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, beneficiaries are selected through verified National Identification Number (NIN) records and the National Social Register (NSR), which contains information on poor and vulnerable households across the country.

The ministry explained that Nigerians must be enrolled with both the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the National Social Register to qualify for consideration. The NSR reportedly contains data on more than 70 million individuals.

However, being registered does not automatically guarantee payment, as beneficiaries must undergo further screening to identify households that meet the programme's poverty and vulnerability criteria.

In a major clarification, the government warned Nigerians against paying individuals or agents promising to secure them a place on the beneficiary list.

"You cannot apply or pay to be added. Not everyone is in the first group," the NERSI website stated, adding that payments are being made in phases across the six geopolitical zones, without discrimination based on religion, ethnicity or political affiliation.

The ₦50,000 support is a non-refundable Federal Government grant paid directly into selected beneficiaries' mobile wallets. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, reportedly announced the commencement of disbursement on October 30.

Meanwhile, Nigerians can check their selection status through the approved financial service providers using the following USSD codes:

ALAT by Wema: *945*23#

MoMo PSB: *671*0#

NairaGram: *726*00#

OPay: *955*20#

Moniepoint: *557*327#

The government has urged Nigerians to rely on approved channels and avoid falling victim to fraudsters exploiting the cash relief programme.