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The ministry also clarified that the grant was not open to individual applications, warning Nigerians against paying agents or intermediaries who claim they can secure inclusion in the beneficiary list.
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The Federal Government has explained how poor and vulnerable households are identified for its social intervention programmes, including the ₦50,000 National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention.
The selection process relies on the National Social Register, a database containing information about households identified as poor and vulnerable across the country.
The register, coordinated by the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office, provides government agencies with information to identify potential beneficiaries and direct social assistance to households considered most in need.
The process has attracted attention following the Federal Government’s announcement of the NERSI programme on October 30, 2026, under which selected beneficiaries are expected to receive ₦50,000 in financial support.
Announcing the intervention, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, said the initiative was designed to cushion the effects of rising living costs on vulnerable households.
However, in a clarification issued on November 6, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction explained that beneficiaries were selected using the National Social Register and verified national identity records, based on established poverty and vulnerability criteria.
The ministry also clarified that the grant was not open to individual applications, warning Nigerians against paying agents or intermediaries who claim they can secure inclusion in the beneficiary list.
How FG Identifies Beneficiaries
The National Social Register is not a platform where Nigerians simply submit their names to access government grants.
Rather, its compilation involves a structured process designed to identify households experiencing poverty and vulnerability.
According to information published on NASSCO’s website, four major approaches are used to identify households for inclusion in the register.
These are geographic targeting, community ranking, community-based targeting and Proxy Means Testing.
Under geographic targeting, states rank local government areas according to their poverty levels, with priority given to areas considered to be more deprived.
Community ranking is then used to assess communities based on the availability of basic amenities and infrastructure. This helps identify locations where residents are likely to experience greater hardship.
The next stage is community-based targeting, through which residents participate in identifying poor and vulnerable households within their communities.
Trained Community-Based Targeting Teams facilitate the exercise, while enumerators collect information about the households identified.
The information gathered is subsequently assessed through Proxy Means Testing, a statistical method used to estimate household welfare based on their characteristics and living conditions.
NASSCO explained that the information collected from identified households was analysed using an algorithm that estimates their welfare levels, allowing households to be ranked according to their poverty status.
Those ranked within the first to sixth deciles are considered for inclusion in the National Beneficiary Register and may qualify for specific social interventions, including cash transfer programmes.
Explaining the rationale behind the process, NASSCO said the targeting approaches were adopted to improve the integrity and reliability of the register and ensure that available resources reached their intended beneficiaries.
The office described the register as “a repository of information about potential beneficiaries for multiple social assistance programs that share a common population of interest, but not necessarily same eligibility approach.”
This means that being captured in the National Social Register does not automatically guarantee access to every government grant or intervention.
Individual programmes may have additional eligibility conditions and selection procedures that beneficiaries must satisfy.
NASSCO has described the National Social Register as an important tool for strengthening Nigeria’s social protection system and improving the delivery of government assistance.
In a social media post explaining its importance, the office stated, “The National Social Register (NSR) is essential because effective social protection begins with knowing who needs support and where they are.”
It warned that without reliable household information, vulnerable Nigerians could be overlooked, available resources might be poorly distributed and development planning could become less effective.
“Through the National Social Register, Nigeria is strengthening its ability to identify poor and vulnerable households, improve targeting, guide resource allocation and support more effective social protection interventions,” the office added.
In an accompanying infographic titled ‘Why Does Nigeria Need the National Social Register?’, NASSCO explained that inadequate data could result in the wrong households being selected for assistance.
It also warned that limited resources might not reach those who needed them most, while poor household information could undermine effective planning.
However, with reliable data, the country could improve beneficiary selection, programme planning, delivery and overall outcomes.
In another social media post, the office emphasised that the register was more than a database.
“Understanding the National Social Register (NSR) is key to understanding how Nigeria identifies and supports its poor and vulnerable households,” it stated.
It added that the register was a vital tool for identifying eligible households, supporting social protection programmes and providing reliable data for better planning and targeted interventions.
Other Government Opportunities
Beyond the ₦50,000 NERSI intervention, the National Social Register serves as a data resource for several government social protection programmes and development interventions.
One of such initiatives is the Household Uplifting Programme-Conditional Cash Transfer, which provides financial assistance to poor and vulnerable households.
According to NASSCO, the programme focuses on households identified through geographic and community-based targeting mechanisms, whose details are subsequently captured in the National Social Register.
Their information undergoes Proxy Means Testing to estimate their poverty levels, with households ranked within the first to sixth deciles considered eligible for the programme.
The office explained that the register was not restricted to cash transfer interventions, as its information could also support planning and decision-making in sectors such as health, education, agriculture and humanitarian assistance.
Government agencies, non-governmental organisations and development partners can also access the data through a formal process, subject to established data protection and responsible-use requirements.
However, inclusion in the register does not automatically qualify a household for every available intervention, as implementing organisations determine eligibility based on the specific requirements of their programme
Over 21 Million Households Captured
The National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office has continued to expand the National Social Register as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s social protection system.
In its October 2026 update shared on social media, NASSCO reported that 21,114,531 households and 83,162,654 individuals had been recorded in the database.
The update also showed that the register covered 217,166 communities across the country, with all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory represented.
The figures highlight the scale of the government’s ongoing effort to establish a database that can support the identification of poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
As part of efforts to improve the reliability of the records, NASSCO has also been working to link household information with the National Identification Number.
In its October 2026 NIN Drive update, the office reported that 16,176,026 NIN records had been captured, out of which 15,653,374 were verified.
The report further indicated that 11,347,989 households had at least one NIN, while 13,330,387 households had been updated.
The NIN registration and verification exercise covered 771 local government areas, representing a reported coverage rate of 63.13 per cent.
The linkage is expected to strengthen the identification and verification of households in the register, helping to reduce errors and improve the targeting of social assistance.
For Nigerians seeking to benefit from the NERSI grant and other government interventions, the ministry’s clarification underscores the importance of understanding that selection is based on established household poverty and vulnerability assessments rather than payment to agents or individual applications.
