The Federal Government has commenced a monthly cash relief programme offering N50,000 to vulnerable households to cushion the impact of rising living costs.

As reported by Channels TV, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, announced this in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.

Doro said the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) was a presidential initiative designed to provide immediate financial assistance to millions of vulnerable Nigerians.

He said the intervention was introduced in response to global food inflation and rising costs of essential goods, which continued to place pressure on households.

“Under this intervention, eligible beneficiaries will receive N50,000 monthly, providing direct assistance to help meet essential needs and ease the burden of living costs,” he said.

The minister explained that the programme would be reviewed regularly in response to changes in the cost of living, with beneficiaries notified directly before any adjustment.

He said the ministry was working with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure secure, prompt and transparent delivery of the funds.

According to him, beneficiaries will receive text messages from the providers requesting their consent before payments are made directly into their bank accounts or mobile wallets.

Doro stressed that beneficiaries were not required to apply, pay any fee or register through agents to access the intervention.

He warned Nigerians against fraudsters, advising beneficiaries not to disclose their personal identification numbers (PINs) or Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) to anyone.

“If you are unsure about any message, or anyone asks you for money, call the official NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222,” he said.

The minister said NERSI complemented existing Federal Government social protection and economic support programmes, while supporting household resilience and economic stability.

He added that the intervention aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to delivering the programme with dignity, transparency and accountability. Punch