MTN subscribers selected for the Federal Government’s N50,000 monthly relief programme can check their eligibility and accept the support through the MoMo Payment Service Bank (PSB) USSD code.
The National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) programme aims to provide financial assistance to vulnerable Nigerian households struggling with the rising cost of living.
MTN users can dial *671*0# from their registered phone numbers to check their eligibility status and follow the instructions displayed on their screens.
However, MTN Nigeria has warned subscribers against a fraudulent message circulating on social media, which claims that users marked as “NOT ELIGIBLE” can receive the payment by sending “YES” to an unofficial code.
The telecommunications company said the instruction did not originate from MTN and urged subscribers to disregard it.
In a response to the circulating message, MTN Support said: “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 the official NERSI portal, beneficiaries are selected using verified National Identity records and the National Social Register.
The government has appointed several payment providers, including MoMo PSB, ALAT by Wema, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint, to distribute the funds.
For MTN subscribers, MoMo PSB serves as the designated payment provider.
How MTN Subscribers Can Access the N50,000 Relief
MTN users can dial *671*0# to check their eligibility and follow the on-screen instructions.
Subscribers who receive official notifications confirming their selection must give consent before the money is transferred to their mobile wallets.
Beneficiaries without a MoMo wallet can dial *671# or download the official MoMo NG application to create an account.
The Federal Government said selected beneficiaries would receive SMS notifications from their respective payment providers requesting consent before disbursement.
Announcing the commencement of the intervention last month, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, said eligible households would receive ₦50,000 monthly to help them meet essential needs and ease the financial burden.
“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 said.
The minister stressed that beneficiaries were not required to apply, pay any fee or register through an agent to receive the support.
The ministry also cautioned Nigerians against disclosing their personal identification numbers (PINs) and Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) to unauthorised individuals.
The NERSI portal states that the programme is completely free and that selected beneficiaries are contacted in batches.
It also explains that subscribers whose status shows “NOT SELECTED” are not necessarily permanently excluded, as payments are being distributed in phases.
However, the government has not guaranteed that those excluded from the current batch will receive payments in subsequent rounds.
For enquiries and complaints, beneficiaries can contact the NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222 or MoMo PSB customer support on 671.
