MTN subscribers selected for the Federal Government’s ₦50,000 monthly financial assistance programme can confirm their eligibility and accept the offer through the MoMo Payment Service Bank (PSB) USSD platform.
The facility provides access to the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), introduced to support vulnerable households across Nigeria amid rising living costs.
The clarification comes as a misleading message circulates on social media, urging MTN users who have yet to receive the money or whose status reads “NOT ELIGIBLE” to send “YES” to an unverified code to secure payment within 24 hours.
However, MTN Nigeria has distanced itself from the instruction, warning subscribers against falling victim to potential fraud.
In a response to the circulating message on X, MTN Support advised customers to ignore the information and avoid sharing sensitive details or making payments based on unverified instructions.
The company wrote, “Please be informed that the information shared is not from MTN. Kindly disregard the message and do not click on any unverified links, share personal information, OTPs, PINs, passwords, or make any payments based on such messages.”
According to information on the official NERSI portal, beneficiaries are identified through verified National Identity records and the National Social Register.
The government uses approved payment platforms, including MoMo PSB, ALAT by Wema, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint, to reach selected recipients.
For MTN subscribers, MoMo PSB serves as the designated payment channel.
How MTN subscribers can check eligibility and receive the ₦50,000
- Check eligibility: Subscribers should dial 6710# using the phone number registered for the programme and follow the instructions displayed to check their status.
- Accept the offer: Those officially notified of their selection should follow the instructions contained in the message or use the USSD platform to provide the required consent.
- Respond to MoMo notifications: Beneficiaries who receive a genuine MoMo pop-up requesting acceptance of the financial support should follow the prompt and select the appropriate option to confirm their consent.
- Register for a MoMo wallet: Selected beneficiaries without an existing MoMo account can dial *671# or download the official MoMo NG application to open one.
- Access the payment: Once the ₦50,000 is credited, recipients can withdraw or access the funds through the MoMo application, USSD service or an authorised MoMo agent. Transfers to bank accounts are also available.
The Federal Government had earlier explained that selected beneficiaries would receive text messages from their designated payment providers requesting consent before the money was transferred to their mobile wallets.
Announcing the commencement of the intervention in an October 30 statement, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, said eligible Nigerians would receive ₦50,000 monthly to assist with essential expenses and reduce the pressure of rising living costs.
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“Beneficiaries will receive an SMS from one of these providers asking for their consent. This message is genuine. Once consent is given, payment is made directly to the beneficiary’s account/mobile wallet,” Doro stated.
The minister stressed that interested Nigerians were not required to submit applications, pay registration fees or go through agents to access the programme.
The ministry also cautioned citizens against disclosing sensitive financial information, particularly their personal identification numbers and Bank Verification Numbers, to unauthorised individuals.
The NERSI portal further clarifies that participation in the intervention is free and that selected recipients are being contacted in batches. Subscribers can also use their respective payment providers’ USSD codes to access the eligibility-check option.
Meanwhile, a “NOT SELECTED” status does not automatically mean that an individual has been permanently excluded from the intervention, as disbursements are being carried out in phases. However, the government has not guaranteed that everyone left out of the current batch will be selected in subsequent rounds.
For enquiries and complaints, beneficiaries can contact the NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222 or reach MoMo PSB customer support by dialling 671.