FG to reach 15 Million vulnerable households with cash support — Minister

The Federal Government has announced plans to provide conditional cash assistance to approximately 15 million vulnerable households across the country, as part of efforts to cushion economic shocks. The programme is being implemented in partnership with the World Bank.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, disclosed this during an interview on Friday, stressing that not all households listed in the National Social Register automatically qualify for direct financial support.

He explained, “We are currently offering conditional cash assistance in conjunction with the World Bank, but this money is actually meant as a shock response. And so not everyone within the 17.9 million households in the register is in the Benefit Register. The Benefit Register is around 15 million vulnerable households.”

The minister noted that the National Social Register currently contains about 17.9 million households identified through community-based assessments and socio-economic data. However, beneficiaries for specific interventions are selected separately based on programme objectives.

“The conditional cash assistance programme is designed as a temporary measure to provide relief to households facing economic hardship, rather than a universal benefit for all individuals captured in the broader social register,” Doro added.

He further highlighted that the National Social Register includes about 70 million Nigerians classified as vulnerable, representing roughly 17.9 million households nationwide. “Every poor person at the moment in the country that has been captured because the target started with the poorest of the poor. At the moment we have about 17.9 million vulnerable households that have been captured in the register, which translates to around 70 million individuals. We are continuing to expand the register to capture as many people as possible,” he said.

Dr. Doro explained that communities play a central role in identifying vulnerable households. “Communities will guide us based on the questions and criteria we have to identify who is poor among them. We also validate this by visiting homes, assessing living conditions, and reviewing personal data to target the poorest of the poor,” he said.

He clarified that being listed in the National Social Register does not automatically guarantee direct financial support. Beneficiaries are selected through a separate Benefit Register according to the nature of each programme. “Our desire is to ensure that every Nigerian is captured in the National Social Register. And just for context, there is a difference between the National Social Register and the Benefit Register. So when programmes are planned, you then target individuals based on the nature of the programme that you are delivering,” he added.

The minister concluded that the Federal Government will continue to expand the National Social Register while ensuring that interventions reach those most affected by economic vulnerabilities and shocks.