FG’s ₦50,000 Relief: 5 Things to Check Before You Accept a Payment Message

• Received a message about the FG’s ₦50,000 relief? Check these five details before responding, sharing information or attempting to collect the money.

A message offering financial support can arrive when a household needs it most. Before acting, recipients should confirm that the instructions match the official National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) process.

Here are five checks to make.

1. Check the provider named in the message

The ministry lists five payment providers: ALAT by Wema, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint.

Treat messages from other senders with caution. A familiar company name alone should not persuade you to follow suspicious instructions.

2. Check the code before dialling

Compare the message with the ministry’s published codes:

Use your provider’s official menu to check eligibility and follow the acceptance prompts. Do not substitute a different code supplied by an unknown caller.

3. Check for links or requests for secret information

The ministry says genuine programme messages do not ask recipients to click a link or disclose their PIN, OTP or password.

If a message asks you to enter banking credentials on a website to unlock payment, stop. For clarification, the official NERSI helpline is 07000222222.

4. Check whether someone is demanding payment

Accepting and receiving the support is free. A demand for a registration, clearance or release fee is a warning sign.

A normal POS withdrawal charge is different: an agent may charge for converting money already in your wallet into cash. Agree on that charge before authorising a withdrawal.

Never transfer money to someone who promises to activate your grant.

5. Check claims that an agent can guarantee selection

NERSI beneficiaries are selected through official social-register and identity records. There is no public application form, and a third party cannot sell you a place.

Forwarding a WhatsApp message also does not make you eligible.

Payments take place in phases, so another person receiving money does not establish that you have been selected. Confirm through the official provider channel rather than paying someone to “speed things up”.