The Federal Government has enrolled about 15 million vulnerable households in its Benefit Register for conditional cash assistance under a World Bank-supported programme aimed at cushioning the impact of economic shocks.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television on Friday.
According to him, while the National Social Register currently contains about 17.9 million vulnerable households—representing nearly 70 million individuals nationwide—not all are eligible for direct financial support.
“We are currently offering conditional cash assistance in conjunction with the World Bank, but this money is meant as a shock response. Not everyone within the 17.9 million households in the register is in the Benefit Register.
The Benefit Register is around 15 million vulnerable households,” Doro said.
Difference Between Social and Benefit Registers
The minister explained that inclusion in the National Social Register does not automatically qualify individuals for financial aid. Instead, beneficiaries are selected through a separate Benefit Register depending on the objectives of specific intervention programmes.
He noted that the register was initially designed to identify the “poorest of the poor” through community-based targeting and socio-economic assessments.
“Communities guide us based on defined criteria to identify who is poor among them. We then validate the information by visiting homes, assessing living conditions and reviewing personal data to determine the most vulnerable,” he said.
70 Million Nigerians Identified as Vulnerable
Doro revealed that approximately 70 million Nigerians have so far been identified as vulnerable, translating to 17.9 million households captured in the National Social Register.
He added that the government is working to expand the register to include more citizens in need of targeted poverty reduction interventions.
“Our desire is to ensure that every Nigerian is captured in the National Social Register. But there is a clear difference between the National Social Register and the Benefit Register.
When programmes are planned, beneficiaries are selected based on the nature of the intervention,” he said.
The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening social protection systems while ensuring that targeted assistance reaches households most affected by economic hardship.