By Palma Ileye
ActionAid Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to disclose the funding sources, beneficiary selection criteria and disbursement arrangements for its proposed ₦50,000 cash support programme for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
The organisation said the government must clarify whether the intervention under the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) is a one-off grant or a monthly payment, following conflicting information about the programme.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, said the intervention could provide immediate relief to households struggling with rising food, transportation, housing and other essential costs, but stressed the need for transparency and accountability.
Mamedu said Nigerians deserved to know the total amount committed to the programme, the funding sources, the amount released and the measures put in place to ensure that the money reached the intended beneficiaries.
He said: “The Federal Government has a responsibility to explain whether the intervention is funded through existing budgetary allocations, supplementary appropriations, savings from economic reforms, development financing or other sources.”
ActionAid Nigeria expressed concern over the absence of a clearly disclosed programme budget, specific beneficiary targets and an implementation timeline.
It noted that providing ₦50,000 monthly to one million households would cost ₦50 billion, while extending the support to five million households would require ₦250 billion monthly.
The organisation said the figures underscored the need for transparent budgeting, legislative oversight and regular public reporting on the programme.
It also observed that while the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, described the intervention as a monthly payment in his announcement on October 30, the official programme website reportedly identified it as a one-off grant.
ActionAid Nigeria urged the government to resolve the discrepancy and clearly state how long beneficiaries would receive the support.
On beneficiary selection, the organisation said the government had indicated that recipients would be identified through the National Social Register and verified national identity records.
According to ActionAid Nigeria, the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) reported that the register contained more than 20 million poor and vulnerable households.
However, it questioned when the register was last updated, the criteria for selecting beneficiaries and how households recently pushed into poverty would be identified.
The organisation called for the prioritisation of the poorest and most marginalised Nigerians, particularly women-headed households, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, older persons and vulnerable rural communities.
It also urged the government to establish accessible channels through which eligible Nigerians excluded from the register could seek assessment and redress.
“Access to social protection should not depend solely on having national identification documents, mobile phones, or bank accounts,” it said.
Mamedu warned against the politicisation of the intervention, particularly with the 2027 general elections approaching.
“Social protection is not a political favour or an act of charity; it is a responsibility of government to its citizens.
“Nigerians deserve to know who is receiving this money, how beneficiaries are selected and whether the support is reaching those who need it most,” he said.
The organisation also called for the disclosure of the criteria used to select digital payment providers, the administrative costs involved and mechanisms for independently verifying disbursements.
It recommended periodic public reports detailing the number of households paid, total funds disbursed, geographical distribution of beneficiaries, failed transactions and complaints resolved, while ensuring the protection of beneficiaries’ personal information.
ActionAid Nigeria further urged the Federal Government to publish the programme’s approved budget, funding sources, financial commitments, actual releases and implementation timeline.
It called for the publication of eligibility criteria, state-by-state and local government beneficiary targets, independent verification of payments and third-party monitoring by credible civil society organisations.
The organisation also urged citizens to demand accountability and report suspected irregularities, exclusion, diversion of funds and other discrepancies to relevant oversight institutions and civil society organisations.
Beyond the immediate intervention, ActionAid Nigeria called for stronger economic and social policies to address the structural causes of poverty and create sustainable pathways out of hardship.
It said such measures should include investments in decent jobs, affordable healthcare, quality education, food security, sustainable livelihoods and other essential public services.
According to the organisation, social protection programmes should form part of a broader, adequately funded poverty reduction strategy aimed at strengthening household resilience and expanding economic opportunities.
“The success of this intervention must be measured not by the amount announced, but by the number of vulnerable Nigerians who receive the support, the fairness of the selection process and the accountability with which public resources are managed,” the statement added.
