FG targets 15 million households for cash support
The Federal Government has said it is targeting 15 million vulnerable households for cash support, as Nigeria’s social protection drive expands under a conditional cash assistance framework designed to cushion the impact of economic shocks.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, disclosed that about 15 million households have been captured in the government’s Benefit Register for conditional cash assistance being implemented with support from international partners, including the World Bank. 
The disclosure comes amid heightened public scrutiny over how beneficiaries are selected, how payments are delivered, and how government prevents leakages in large welfare programmes. For officials defending the scheme, the message is simple: the database is growing, the target is clear, and the cash support is meant for households classified as vulnerable, not everyone on existing social registers. 
What the minister said, and why it matters
In explaining the 15 million households for cash support target, the minister drew a line between the National Social Register and the Benefit Register, stressing that being listed on one does not automatically qualify a household for direct payments. 
That distinction matters because the National Social Register is often referenced in public conversations as if it were a simple pay-list. Government officials argue it is broader than that, containing households captured through social protection data exercises, while the Benefit Register is intended to reflect households that meet defined eligibility checks for the cash support programme. 
In other words: the Federal Government says it is not just counting names. It is building a system that decides who gets paid, when, and why.
The cash support programme in context
The 15 million households for cash support plan sits inside a wider social safety net agenda that has been discussed publicly by economic management officials over the last year. For instance, the Ministry of Finance has previously announced efforts to fast-track cash transfers to 15 million households, including the setting up of an inter-agency committee to address delays in disbursement. 
On the implementation side, Nigeria’s social safety net platform has also presented the conditional cash transfer plan as a structured intervention where eligible households receive support within a defined period. A government social protection update has stated that eligible households were slated to receive ₦75,000 within three months under a conditional cash transfer rollout. 
This is part of why the 15 million households for cash support figure keeps returning in official policy messaging: it has become the benchmark for scale, budgeting, and performance tracking.
Funding and the role of partners
Cash support programmes of this size require big funding and credible payment rails. In previous briefings reported by Nigerian media, the Federal Government has linked cash transfer funding to an $800 million World Bank facility, framing the effort as a major social protection intervention with external financing support. 
That funding angle also explains why government officials are under pressure to show clean processes: targeting must look defensible, payments must be traceable, and complaints must be handled quickly, especially when households are struggling with high food prices and transport costs.
The real questions Nigerians are asking
Announcing 15 million households for cash support is one thing. Making it work is another. Across communities, the same questions surface:
• Who qualifies, and what exact criteria are used?
• How are households verified to prevent ghost entries?
• How is cash delivered (banking, mobile money, agents), and what happens where access is limited?
• What is the grievance process when a household believes it was wrongly excluded?
Government has tried to address some of these concerns by insisting that registers are being refined and that eligibility is not automatic.  But trust is built less by statements and more by consistent delivery: people believe the system when neighbours who qualify actually receive payments on time.
https://ogelenews.ng/fg-targets-15-million-households-for-cash-support
Why this is politically sensitive
Any programme targeting 15 million households for cash support is not just welfare policy. It is also political, because it sits at the intersection of poverty, public anger, and reform pain.
For the administration, the cash transfer narrative is meant to show that economic reforms are not “do your best and survive,” but “we will soften the landing.” For critics, every delay, error, or allegation of favouritism becomes proof that the system is not ready.
What to watch next
The key test now is implementation clarity. Nigerians will watch for:
• publication of clearer eligibility explanations,
• stronger transparency around payments and timelines,
• and visible enforcement against manipulation.
If the government can show that the 15 million households for cash support target is backed by credible verification and predictable disbursement, the programme becomes a lifeline. If it cannot, it risks becoming another announcement that sounds big but lands small.
https://punchng.com/fg-to-expand-cash-transfer-beyond-15-million-households-edun
