By Ebi Kesiena
Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, has disclosed that about 15 million vulnerable households have been registered under the Federal Government’s conditional cash assistance programme being implemented in partnership with the World Bank.
The minister made the disclosure during an interview on Television, explaiined that the beneficiaries were captured in the government’s Benefit Register as part of efforts to provide direct financial support to cushion the impact of economic shocks on vulnerable Nigerians.
Doro clarified that although approximately 17.9 million households are currently listed in the National Social Register, not all of them qualify for the immediate cash intervention. He noted that the conditional cash assistance is structured primarily as a shock-response mechanism targeted at the most vulnerable.
“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,” he said.
According to him, the Benefit Register presently covers about 15 million vulnerable households considered eligible for the direct financial transfers.
He further explained that the broader National Social Register captures about 17.9 million vulnerable households, representing roughly 70 million individuals across the country. The register serves as a database for identifying and targeting poor and at-risk populations for various social intervention programmes.
“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 in that register. We are continuing to expand the register to capture as many people as possible,” Doro added.
The conditional cash transfer initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s social protection strategy aimed at mitigating poverty, strengthening resilience, and supporting low-income households amid economic reforms and inflationary pressures.
The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding social safety nets, stressing that continuous updates and verification of the register are ongoing to ensure transparency, accuracy, and improved targeting of beneficiaries.
