The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the federal government to explain how beneficiaries are selected and paid under its N50,000 emergency relief programme.
The group made the request to Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Minister Bernard Doro in a freedom-of-information letter dated Saturday and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, Punch reported, quoting the letter.
The programme, the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), was announced by the ministry on 30 October. SERAP says the ministry’s statement described the payment as monthly, while a later frequently-asked-questions document did not say how often or for how long it would be paid.
SERAP wants the ministry to say whether the assistance is a one-off payment or a monthly benefit, and how long payments are meant to last. It is also seeking the programme’s budget, money released and spent, eligibility rules and how recipients are verified, as well as anonymised figures showing beneficiary numbers and payments by state and local government area.
The group said it was concerned by reports that some people who received payment notifications could not withdraw the money, and that others were told they were ineligible. It asked the ministry to investigate and publish its findings.
SERAP also asked for the agreements with the payment providers named in the letter (ALAT, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint), including their roles, fees and performance and for details of how recipients’ personal data is protected.
It also asked for records of any involvement by political actors in selecting beneficiaries, and said beneficiaries must not be required to attend rallies or show political loyalty, particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It gave the minister seven days from receipt or publication of the letter to respond, saying it would consider legal action if the information was not provided.
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