MTN users selected for the Federal Government’s N50,000 monthly relief programme can check their eligibility and accept the support through the MoMo Payment Service Bank USSD code.
The code provides access to the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention, which is designed to provide financial assistance to vulnerable Nigerian households.
The development comes amid the circulation of a social media message advising MTN subscribers who have not received the payment or whose eligibility status shows “NOT ELIGIBLE” to send “YES” to a fake code, with a promise that they would receive the money within 24 hours.
However, MTN Nigeria Support has warned that the circulating instruction is not from the telecommunications company and advised subscribers to disregard it.
In a warning comment to the tweet, the company urged users not to click unverified links, disclose personal information, one-time passwords, personal identification numbers or passwords, or make payments based on such messages.
MTN Support wrote,”Please be informed that the information shared is not from MTN. Kindly disregard the message and do not click on any unverified links, share personal information, OTPs, PINs, passwords, or make any payments based on such messages.”
According to the official NERSI portal, beneficiaries are selected from verified national identity records and the National Social Register.
They are contacted through approved payment providers, including MoMo PSB, ALAT by Wema, NairaGram, OPay and Moniepoint.
For MTN subscribers, MoMo PSB is the designated payment provider.
How MTN users can check eligibility and accept the support
Dial the USSD code: MTN users can dial *671*0# from their registered phone numbers and follow the on-screen instructions to check their eligibility or status.
Accept the offer if selected: Subscribers who receive an official notification confirming their selection should follow the instructions in the message or use the USSD code to give consent.
Respond to an official pop-up: If a genuine MoMo notification appears on the phone asking the recipient to accept the support, the user should follow the prompt and press the appropriate option to give consent.
Open a MoMo account: Beneficiaries without a MoMo wallet can dial *671# or download the official MoMo NG application to register.
Access the money: Once the ₦50,000 is credited, beneficiaries can access it through the MoMo application, USSD or a MoMo agent. They can also transfer the funds to a bank account.
The Federal Government said beneficiaries would receive an SMS from their payment providers requesting consent before the money is transferred to their mobile wallets.
In a statement made on October 30 which announce the commencement of the intervention, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, said eligible beneficiaries would receive ₦50,000 monthly to help meet essential needs and ease the burden of living costs.
Doro stated that “beneficiaries will receive an SMS from one of these providers asking for their consent. This message is genuine. Once consent is given, payment is made directly to the beneficiary’s account/mobile wallet”.
He also said beneficiaries were not required to apply, pay any fee or register through an agent to receive the support.
The official NERSI portal states that the programme is free and that selected beneficiaries are contacted in batches. It also provides that users can dial their payment provider’s code and select the eligibility-check option.
Those whose status shows “NOT SELECTED” are not necessarily permanently excluded, as payments are being made in phases. However, the government has not guaranteed that everyone not selected in the current phase will receive the support in a subsequent batch.
For enquiries or complaints, beneficiaries can contact the NERSI helpline on 0700-022-2222 or MoMo PSB customer support on 671.