FG’s N50,000 Grant: 3 Types of SMS Beneficiaries May Receive Before Payment
- NERSI beneficiaries may receive separate SMS messages for selection, payment consent and batch eligibility
- Five payment providers are linked to the N50,000 grant, including ALAT, MoMo, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint
- Beneficiaries should verify messages through official channels and never pay fees or share PINs and one-time passwords
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Pascal Oparada is a journalist with Legit.ng, covering technology, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy for over a decade.
Nigerians awaiting the Federal Government’s N50,000 National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) grant have been advised to pay attention to the different text message notifications associated with the payment process.
The programme, designed to provide financial assistance to vulnerable households facing rising living costs, uses digital payment providers to communicate with selected beneficiaries and facilitate disbursements.
Source: Getty Images
However, receiving a notification does not necessarily mean that the N50,000 has been credited or is immediately available for withdrawal.
Understanding the messages could help beneficiaries avoid confusion, identify suspicious communications and determine the next steps.
Three SMS notifications beneficiaries may receive
There are three main categories of notifications associated with the grant's selection, acceptance and payment verification processes.
1. Selection and acceptance notification
The first notification informs a beneficiary that they have been selected for the intervention.
According to published guidance, the message may contain the grant amount, the programme's name and instructions for accepting the payment through an approved provider.
One example of the message states:
"Relief! FGN has selected you to receive ₦50,000 under NERSI to help with living costs."
The notification may also include a USSD instruction for completing the acceptance process.
However, beneficiaries should independently verify the sender and instructions through official provider channels before responding.
2. Consent and confirmation notification
Another notification may request the beneficiary's consent before the payment provider proceeds with wallet registration or disbursement.
Some communications may require recipients to respond with "YES" or complete a confirmation through an authorised USSD channel.
This stage is intended to establish the recipient's consent and facilitate the payment process.
Importantly, replying "YES" does not automatically confirm that the grant has been paid.
Beneficiaries may still need to complete identity verification or await further instructions from their designated payment provider.
3. Eligibility and batch status notification
Nigerians checking their eligibility may receive a response indicating that they have not been selected in the current payment batch.
Such notifications should not automatically be interpreted as permanent disqualification.
The intervention reportedly operates through phased disbursements, meaning beneficiaries may receive notifications at different times.
However, an unsuccessful status check does not guarantee selection in a subsequent batch.
Five payment providers linked to N50,000 grant
The five digital payment providers identified in reports about the intervention are:
- ALAT by Wema Bank
- MoMo Payment Service Bank
- NairaGram
- OPay
- Moniepoint
These providers are expected to facilitate beneficiary communication, verification and payment processing.
Beneficiaries should confirm that any communication genuinely originates from the relevant institution.
Source: Getty Images
How Nigerians can avoid fraudulent messages
The reported grant is free, and beneficiaries should be cautious of anyone demanding registration, processing or withdrawal fees.
Recipients should never disclose their banking PINs, passwords or one-time passwords to individuals claiming to facilitate payments.
They should also avoid suspicious links and independently confirm payment instructions using official financial service channels.
Ultimately, a selection SMS, consent confirmation and successful payment are separate stages. Beneficiaries should verify that funds have actually reached their accounts before assuming disbursement is complete.
What Nigerians must check before replying to SMS
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Federal Government has provided guidelines to help Nigerians identify genuine payment notifications for the ₦50,000 National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) grant.
The guidelines explain how selected beneficiaries can recognise legitimate messages, confirm their authenticity and avoid falling victim to fraudsters seeking to exploit the relief programme.
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