The Federal Government says about 15 million vulnerable households have been captured in its Benefit Register for conditional cash transfers, as part of ongoing collaboration with the World Bank to cushion the effects of economic shocks on poor Nigerians.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television on Friday.
Doro explained that while the broader National Social Register currently contains data on approximately 17.9 million vulnerable households — representing nearly 70 million individuals — not all those listed qualify for direct financial assistance.
“The Benefit Register is around 15 million vulnerable households,” he said, noting that the cash transfers are designed primarily as a shock-response intervention.
He clarified that being listed in the National Social Register does not automatically entitle a household to receive payments. Beneficiaries for specific interventions, including conditional cash transfers, are selected based on defined programme criteria and objectives.
According to the minister, the registration process is community-driven and involves multiple layers of verification. Communities help identify vulnerable persons using established criteria, after which officials conduct home visits to assess living conditions and verify personal data to ensure that assistance reaches the poorest households.
Doro emphasized the distinction between the National Social Register and the Benefit Register, explaining that targeted support is drawn from the broader database depending on the nature of each programme.
He added that the government’s long-term objective is to capture every Nigerian in the National Social Register to improve the precision and effectiveness of poverty reduction initiatives.
The minister reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to expanding social protection coverage while ensuring that support is directed at those most affected by economic hardship.
