LAGOS — Leading fintech platform OPay has issued official guidance explaining how customers can check their eligibility for the Federal Government’s N50,000 cash relief scheme, while warning the public against falling prey to online fraudsters and fake verification agents.
In an official statement released on Tuesday, the digital payment company clarified that selection of qualified beneficiaries is conducted exclusively by government authorities, and not determined by OPay.
The company disclosed that customers selected for the disbursement under the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) will automatically see an official pop-up prompt on their OPay mobile application homepage. Users who do not see the feature on their dashboard are not eligible for the ongoing payout phase.
To check eligibility, OPay instructed users to rely solely on its official mobile application or dial the dedicated USSD code *955*20#.
Cautioning against cybercriminals exploiting public interest in the intervention, OPay firmly advised customers never to share sensitive security credentials. The platform reaffirmed that it will never ask beneficiaries for Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), One-Time Passwords (OTPs), or Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) to process relief payments.
Customers were urged to refrain from making payments to third-party agents or clicking unverified social media links promising approval.
The relief distribution follows an October announcement by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, outlining direct cash transfers to vulnerable households via approved financial channels. The ministry reaffirmed that no registration fees or application forms are required for the government fund, urging citizens to direct queries to the official NERSI hotline at 0700-022-2222.
